After the Applause by Sara

After the Applause by Sara - March 2026 Scholarship Essay

I always thought that speeches ended when the applause stopped and I walked off stage.
My first time speaking in front of a crowd, at my first speech competition, I felt myself trembling and forgetting my words. Even after hours of memorising for hours and hours, everything froze upon entering the floor. But after taking a deep breath, looking out into the crowd, I realized something unexpected: people were not just listening. They were looking for something to relate to. I watched as I engaged people, creating a level of connection with the group.

Beginning the skill of public speaking, it felt like a performance and a way to deliver a message in a clear and confident manner. However, as the still evolved beyond just memorisation, I noticed the joy I truly found was through the conversations I would have after my presentations. My peers began to approach me, oftentimes in admiration or some with excitement and awe. Slowly, my words made them rethink their goals or rediscover a new idea. Effectively, I was able to use my passion and interest of public speaking to make an impact on an individual's motivation to achieve their own goals.

Particularly, after one event, I recall talking to a student after leading a club meeting and she asked me how I cultivated confidence and how she could apply it to her own life. During our conversation, I cited always being open to learning and taking risks, as I saw this as a point of struggle for myself as well when initially building this skill. I advised my peers to seek out opportunities and consistently be curious to put emphasis on growth.

At the end of our conversation the student said, “I think I’m going to try,” Not only did the conversation stick with my peer, as eventually I saw her take on new leadership roles under my guidance, but this line stuck with me as a leader.

My role being a leader, I believed, revolved around creating solutions and solving problems. But through these experiences I learnt that it’s about the effort and the content I pull from the experience. Even while working through new projects in my school’s Interact Club, I find success not only in the hours of service but also the community that we build while working as a team. Oftentimes, this can come with failures, but to see the success in numbers we maintain resilience. This works well having a team supporting me as a leader, but through his experience, I have also worked on translating it to my own everyday life to effectively come up with solutions.

But by being able to support my team through words, I have worked towards creating a team that also incorporates these values in their own life. Now, I know the meaning of using my words intentionally as I can view the tangible impacts of being able to foster motivation. Words can create space for possibility. They can remind someone that their interests matter and their voice matters.

I began to focus on connecting with individuals and creating a sense of reliability, instead of optimizing my vocabulary to particularly impress my audience. I began to be a more transparent speaker, refraining from using notes and sharing more honest stories. I embraced my mistakes and allowed myself to make them to be more authentic to invite people to be open and interested in having conversations after.

And through public speaking, I learnt that influence does not have to be loud, but can be communicated through one on one conversations, that goes beyond the curtains closing. I also learnt that I deeply cared about guiding people towards finding their direction, by encouraging them in their respective disciplines. In doing so, my voice served as a tool for expression and empowerment.

Ultimately, if even one person walks away feeling more motivated and confident then I hope their sentiment radiates across the team.