I believe there are two types of people in this world: word people, and number people.
And since I was nine years old, I’ve known to which tribe I belong—I’m a Word Person,
through and through. Some might call me a Word Nerd! My fate was sealed in the fourth
grade. When I began struggling with fractions, Mr. Teacher patted me on the head and
said, “Don’t worry your pretty little head, your husband can do the math in the family.”
And it stuck. To this day, math and its confounding intricacies continues to elude me.
But words—words are my friends!
Writing and telling stories have been passions of mine for as long as I can remember.
As a child, it was not uncommon for me to climb a tree with a tiny spiral notebook and
a pencil so I could have some peace and quiet and let the words flow. I wrote poetry,
I journaled (even though it would be years before that word entered my vocabulary), and
I made up stories. I also wrote plays and would gather my sisters and friends and we’d
act them out for the neighborhood kids, charging a nickel for admittance.
As an adult, I have written poetry, short stories, two memoirs, and am three-quarters of
the way through my first novel. After publishing my memoir, More Than Everything (and
becoming an advocate for helping young women find a way out of seemingly impossible
situations), I found myself talking to groups of people—sharing my story in front of an
audience. And as an introvert, this did not come naturally.
Enter Toastmasters!
After being invited to attend an open house, and witnessing first-hand the positive
atmosphere and helpful attitudes of its members, I knew I’d found an answer. It was
immediately clear that the club environment of support and positive feedback, with
assignments and the goal-tracking process of the Toastmasters program would be a great
fit for me.
My goal is to someday be a professional speaker. I also dream of telling stories live,
on stage in front of an audience. With four speeches under my belt, I’m growing more
and more confident that Toastmasters will help this Word Nerd reach those goals.
- Vanessa
Top of Texas would like to wish Vanessa all the best with her Toastmasters journey.
We will miss you!
