by LaDonna Thompson, CC, ALB – FAA Toastmasters Club

It feels like an Oxymoron to get an award from Toastmasters because being a member of the FAA Toastmasters Club is an award all by itself. When I was asked what getting my last two Toastmasters awards means to me, I immediately thought of the people who were behind me getting those awards.

Not once did I look at the award criteria and say, “I think I’ll work to accomplish this next award”. No, the VP of Education at that time or another amazing club member reached out to me and said, “You only need to do 2 more speeches or 6 more speeches and you’ll get your next award”. They also assigned me roles often and asked me to lead efforts that would help me meet the additional requirements. Therefore, the credit for my CC, CL, and ALB all go to the Toastmasters members who saw the visions that I wasn’t even looking to achieve.

Thank you specifically to Shawn, Jeri, Janet, and Sheba for seeing the goals that were within my reach. I also have to give a SUPER, DUPER THANKS to Matt and Wayne for being role model DTMs and for truly inspiring me. They make speaking look so easy and entertaining. I still remember Matt’s fake coin speech and Wayne’s speech about Buc-ee’s bathrooms. My awards mean I’m so honored and proud to be on a team with peers who sincerely care about my success. It also means I’m one step closer to being able to do speeches, like Matt and Wayne, that others will hopefully be inspired by and “remember”, as well. As Wayne would say… “GO, TEAM”!

There‘s no question, this is WHERE LEADERS ARE MADE!