We the People Bio - Jessica Murdock

Seven months ago I couldn’t comfortably give a prepared speech in front of a group of people, and having to answer any sort of question in front of a group of people was the most daunting task I’d ever faced. Before I joined the Sky View We the People team I had almost no public speaking skills. The first time my unit practiced presenting our question was a disaster. I didn’t have anything to say during the questioning period and I stumbled through my prewritten part. At that point I regretted joining the team. I was discouraged and embarrassed. At our district competition I struggled with the questioning period as well. It felt like my mind was turned off and I couldn’t form a flowing thought. Luckily my unit kept it together and we made it past district.

In that short time between district and state, more specifically the week before state, I experienced a complete change. I went from dreading the questioning period to being excited and looking forward to it. I know that the only thing that changed was my mindset. I doubted myself before; I thought that my unit would be able to answer the questions better, and that I would only be a detriment if I spoke. I’m not sure exactly what it was, but in that final week before state I gained a bit of confidence that I’ve never had in my life. Maybe it was the constant encouragement and patience of my unit, or maybe it was the confidence Rigby had in me that I didn’t have, but whatever it was it has changed me in aspects beyond We the People. It has changed the way I interact with people and it has changed how I see my future.

I know now that I can accomplish anything I set out to do, no matter how daunting it may seem, if I put in the time and effort it requires. I’ve never worked so hard to achieve something as I have in this class, and I’ve never felt that indescribable feeling as strong as I did when the announcer said Sky View would be going back to Washington D.C., but it wasn’t cause we were going to D.C., it was because I stuck to something that challenged me in more than one aspect of my live and I succeeded. I don’t want the countless hours of sleep that I lost back, I don’t want the tears back, and I wouldn’t trade the friendships I’ve made for anything.