Ask any student, and they will probably confess their deep-seeded resentment towards public speaking. Many will go to extreme lengths, taking any and every precaution in order to avoid the odious task and, ideally, thwart the likelihood of being judged. What most don’t realize, and what some refute, is that public speaking is fundamentally tied to the principles of education, and- at best- students unwilling to satisfy its basic prerequisites will find themselves handicapped. Now, having said that, public speaking presents one with a plethora of challenges: the task of charging the audience with empathy, the strife to promote an idea and motivate listeners, the finesse to showcase satire or a facetious argument, all while maintaining poise and a pleasant- or at least tolerable- disposition. Standing before you, I find myself obligated to mention that not too long ago my younger self could not fathom attempting any of the above, much less excelling at public speaking. It was not uncommon, given the insecurities of adapting to a new language, that I seldom spoke out loud and almost never gave an oration unless my leeway was somehow limited. Yet, as it happens, the most difficult aspect of presenting your ideas is finding the incentive to speak and forgetting- for the moment being- any negative attention that you may instigate. By refraining from making one’s voice heard, not only in the the confines of school but in worldly issues as well, we cheat our intellect and become detrimental to progress.