Something I’ve learned from my service year is…

Something I've learned from my service is being unafraid to find my voice. During my service year from City Year New York (CYNY), I've had a fear of public speaking. It has been one of the most stressful things that can come about myself when it comes to being a leader. It's definitely a great skill to have, but I have a feeling I'd be judged off anything that comes out of my speech. Even last year during my service year in AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC), I was the Activities Coordinator and I had to present my weekly schedule to my corps. I honestly sweated throughout my uniform and had always shut down afterwards because it was so overwhelming. It's been a skill that my mom would tell me that if I'd run away from, I'd be doomed to repeat it. And I don't want to repeat that fear.

I received word about our yearly subscription through Service Year 100 and how it can helped me through public speaking. I was guided to LinkedIn Learning and a class called "Overcoming Your Fear of Public Speaking." It started me off with thoughts that I'd previously had before and shown me why I had those thought. Then the video began to break down for me on what's needed to be comfortable when it comes to speaking towards a large crowd of your peers. I found a way to turn a negative into a positive. My fear of speaking became my motive of voicing myself and my ideas. My thoughts of failing to get to the point and stumbling turned into an outlet of gestures, jokes, and lessons. I honestly never thought I'd see the day. Thank you #ServiceYear100 & @LinkedIn for helping me end a 8 year nightmare.