We want to congratulate Janessa Montilla for winning the annual Miami Springs Optimist Club Oratorical Contest. Furthermore, Montilla won 2nd place in the South Florida District of the Optimist Club.
Montilla was recognized for her winning speech titled “Discover the Optimism within Me.” The speech is uplifting and bright proving that one must persevere internally despite negative influences from the outside. But really, it’s the way she delivers the speech that gives it so much power. She’s clear, articulate, and confident. She exudes an incredible charm and charisma. And she comes across far wiser than her age should allow. To be blunt, she’s mastered a skill most adults can only dream of.
Don’t believe me? You can view the entire speech for yourself in the YouTube video below as she presented the speech at Monday’s Miami Springs City Council Meeting.
Janessa makes it look easy, but make no mistake about the hard work, preparation, and practice it takes to perform so well.
Editor’s note:
Janessa’s experience with the Miami Springs Optimist Club brings a fond memory for this author. As a young student at Miami Springs Middle School (back in the late ’80s) I was part of the school’s Speech and Debate class. I was a very shy student, but the class helped me get out of my shell. And one of the competition experiences I was able to participate in was at the Miami Springs Optimist Club. It was a big deal for a middle school student. I had to get dressed up in a suit and tie. It was an evening event at the Miami Springs Optimist Club. My parents also dressed up to watch me perform. I remember them taking me through parts of Miami Springs I had never seen before. It was my first time in the heart of the Bird Section of Miami Springs.
Getting to the Optimist Club on Wren Avenue, I remember there were a bunch of “old guys” with white hair and suits to watch a handful of us compete for this oratorical contest. And as intimidating as the old guys in suits were, nothing is as intimidating as performing in front of your family.
I’ll be honest with you. I stunk up the joint with my speech. I was too quiet in my delivery and lacked the confidence at the time to deliver the speech with any serious volume or command of the audience’s attention. But that failure made me better, stronger, and far more confident at giving speeches throughout my life. I’m so ever grateful to the Miami Springs Optimist Club for supporting the kids that participate in these oratorical contests.
And to Janessa Montilla, we’d like to congratulate you once again. You have an incredibly bright future ahead of you. Hard work, perseverance, and control of what goes into your mind will get you anywhere you want to go. God bless you.
