Crawford International Ruimsig learner Mikaela Visagie did her school proud when she placed third in the national final of the interschools public speaking competition.
The 16-year-old from Roodepoort was one of the top 10 of each grade from each province who were chosen to participate at national level where the top ten in the country are chosen.
“I have always had a love for speaking in front of people and for culture. I started participating in public speaking three years ago in a school group and this gave me the confidence to try and do it on my own.
“Doing well in speeches at school convinced me to start participation in competitions outside of school,” said Mikaela.
The Grade 10 learner revealed to the Northsider that she felt very excited and surprised, but also humble to know that she placed third overall in the country.
The national inter-schools public speaking league is a public speaking competition that attracts between 400 and 600 speakers from around the country every year.
According to Mikaela, public speaking boosts your confidence and speaking abilities, and also improves your language and social interaction skills.
“The advice I would like to share with the other young people who want to do public speaking is that they must practise hard, take all the feedback they get, learn from it and be confident in themselves,” concluded Mikaela.
