FIRST MIDDLE SCHOOL PRESENTATION! 12/15/14

I can't even begin to express how nervous I was for my first ever drug prevention presentation to the middle schoolers. It's the basis of Neural Activity - teens teaching teens - and I had all the training and all the preparation to do it. It was what I had waited for and what I planned to be a part of my CAS project. On the day of the presentation, December 2nd, Callie, Kiara, and I were told that we would be presenting to two classes at Redlands Middle School, with each class having 30 or so 6th graders and the class would last for about 30 minutes. We had worked together and practiced our presentation that we learned through the trainings that we had throughout the year on the different modules and information about the effects of drugs on the adolescent brain. However, when we arrived and were setting everything up, Leigh informed us that we would be presenting to 200 6th graders for about an hour and a half! I was mortified! I was so nervous, being that I had never talked in front of that many people ever, in my entire life! Once the kids got settled, we presented, and the feeling of relief afterwards subsided into great happiness and pride over what we had accomplished together. Callie, Kiara and I had worked very hard together to make the presentation the best it could be, and when we found out that plans had changed right before we were about the present, we were basically freaking out. It was a very stressful and scary experience, as we not only had the responsibility of relaying this information to the kids in a way which they could understand, but we also had to keep them engaged for a long period of time, which is super difficult. I've worked with kids before but I definitely had to undertake this new challenge and persevere through my self-doubt to deliver a great message. We had to work together throughout the presentation to make it run smoothly, and to get our message across to these kids who are so deserving of needing to understand the problem facing the community they live in. The presentation went extremely well. The kids were really involved and interested in what we were telling them, and they understood. This experience was truly gratifying in so many more ways than I expected it would be. Knowing that I could have made an impact or changed even one kid's life makes me so proud of the work we do and the message we are spreading. I can't explain the feeling of joy in knowing that I potentially helped or positively influenced a life or future. Not only was this truly the most gratifying experience, but I also grew in my abilities and skills that day. I truly overcame my fear of public speaking, and I definitely noticed the improvements I have been making in this experience overall. I no longer get extremely nervous to speak in front of large crowds and I have a overall greater confidence in myself. This experience overall has changed me, and I look forward with great anticipation to the next presentation I have the opportunity to do in the future! I truly loved it!