One Clap Speech and Debate
One Clap Speech and Debate is a resource for Speech and Debate coaches and competitors. We interview heroes of the Speech and Debate community about the transformative power of the activity and work to provide free and helpful content for Speech and Debate enthusiasts. Lyle Wiley, an English teacher and Speech and Debate Coach in Thermopolis, Wyoming, hosts the show.
One Clap Speech and Debate
Camp One Clap 2, Episode 19: Zcherina Villegas on Fears and Authenticity in Speech and Debate
6:19 - Camp One Clap 2024: Day 19
For notes and details about the episode, check out the website here:
Join us at Camp One Clap for a lively conversation with Zcherina Villegas, Cheyenne East alum and speech and debate virtuoso, as she tests her hypothetical survival skills and jumps into her love for horror films. Discover Zcherina's whimsical take on the paranormal while we explore the power of authenticity in Speech and Debate. Zcherina passionately shares how being true to oneself—head, heart, and humor included—can elevate your speech delivery.
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Well, hey, campers, we've arrived at day 19 here at Camp One Clap and even though we're stuck in the clapocalypse, things couldn't be better. Serena Villegas, cheyenne East alum and friend of the podcast, is here to help guide us through. I'm your camp director and host of the One Clap Speech and Debate podcast, law Wiley. I hope that camp has been a source of inspiration, learning and fun for coaches and competitors this August. Quick reminder check the One Clap socials for today's social media challenge. And let me tell you a little bit about today's guest.
Lyle Wiley:Sharina Villegas graduated from Cheyenne East High School this year after competing for four years in speech and debate. Over the years she tried many events, including oratory expository, big questions, lincoln-douglas debate, congress, world schools and drama. She's a state champion in original oratory and a three-time national qualifier. Sharina is majoring in English at the University of Wyoming and she's considering a double major qualifier. Sharina is majoring in English at the University of Wyoming and she's considering a double major in anthropology. Sharina is here at the Clapocalypse to chat about inserting your personality into performance and overcoming fears in speech and debate. Here's my interview with Sharina in the midst of the Clapocalypse. Welcome back to Camp One Clap Two the Clapocalypse, by the way, which is pretty scary, but welcome back, sharina Villegas. It's so nice to have you back on One Clap. How are you doing?
Zcherina Villegas:It's good. It's nice to be back. Thank you for bringing me back to One Clap. I'm really excited to see what we have to talk about today and, yeah, I'm really excited Season 2, clapocalypse. That's a bit of a tongue twister there, but I love it. It's really great.
Lyle Wiley:Yeah, you can say it easily, it's really hard. Well, it does mean that we're going to talk about scary stuff like spooky things, fear, and first off, I want to hear from you what's your favorite scary story?
Zcherina Villegas:It could be a movie or a book or um. I'm actually not the biggest fan of scary movies but I have like a very specific taste in them. Like my favorite horror movie I guess right now is get out um, directed by jordan peele. I think all of jordan peele's like works are so good. I just watched nope. That was a little bit traumatizing but it was really good. And um, I think it's just like the type of stuff that like the jump scares and all that. Oh man, I am not the biggest fan of those, but I love the thrill.
Lyle Wiley:I do love the thrill so jordan peele, I think, is like kind of a genius of course, the first off I think key and peel is hilarious some of the best sketches ever.
Lyle Wiley:I I think, uh, it's, it's is hilarious, some of the best sketches ever. I think it's some classic stuff and, of course, very incisive about race in America. But I really loved Nope. I mean, I know it's super weird, but I'm a huge fan of Nope. I thought that that was a really cool movie in a lot of ways about movies, but had a lot of really interesting things to say. But a good one Get Out is great as well yeah, I love that movie.
Zcherina Villegas:I thought it was. It was like a good blend of of scary and funny and all the things that I was looking for it. By the end of it I was like, wow, this is like.
Lyle Wiley:This is good, you know yeah, definitely has a lot of interesting things to say too. Yeah, some important stuff. But uh, yeah, I I kind of didn't really peg you as the kind of person who's like big on like horror uh and scary being scared uh, but you know, I mean there's like it's like a degree like I love indulging in it.
Zcherina Villegas:it's just like the aftermath of where I have to like look around the corner or run up the stairs and like sleep with my lights on because I just get so scared. Like I had this whole phase and when I was really young on the horror game franchise Five Nights at Freddy's oh my gosh, I was stuck on that, but I could not go to sleep in my own room for like a couple months.
Lyle Wiley:Wow, that's pretty hardcore, I know, I know. Well, hopefully you're past all that as you move on to different things in your life.
Lyle Wiley:But you know it's okay, we've all been there and that's why we're talking about it here, because, you know, in addition to scary stuff, I want to think about what about, like, if there was this crazy apocalyptic event and we're all living in this, like, like post-apocalyptic wasteland, and maybe it's like zombies or something like that? Yeah, something out of a dystopian like kind of novel, like what are your chances of survival on a scale of one to 10? And like what skills would you bring to the table in a situation like this? What do you think?
Zcherina Villegas:I would give myself a solid five and myself a solid five. And here's why okay. So I feel like there are there are two parts, one where I'd be like, okay, okay, this it's the end of the world, I'm gonna get through this. Okay, this is what I'm gonna get bring with me, this is what's gonna happen. I already found a shelter, all this and that and I'll be like, okay, I'm doing this.
Zcherina Villegas:But then there's also the other side of me that's just like okay, zombie, just bite me already. I don't want to deal with this. I'm done Like I don't want to. No, no, thank you. But I think that if I were to go to the side where, like, I'm super motivated and I want to survive this thing, I think I'm pretty adaptable. Of this thing, I think that I think I'm pretty adaptable. I think if I were like stuck in like a school or like, um, I don't know, some random place in the middle of nowhere, I think I could adapt well, but I might just want to end it at the end because I'm like I don't want to deal with these zombies also, it depends on what kind they are or like what's happening, I think I don't know. That's why I give myself a five because I'm like maybe, but also maybe not.
Lyle Wiley:So, if motivated, a really good chance, if unmotivated a really bad chance.
Zcherina Villegas:Yeah, if I don't feel good that day, maybe not today. Maybe not today.
Lyle Wiley:Oh yeah, fair enough, I get that. Um, that said, I will say, like most speech and debate, folks don't feel super confident about their chances. You know, we all, a lot of us, are like, hey well, I'm pretty good communicator, maybe I could like talk my way out of stuff. But yeah, let's just hope, maybe we can prevent the apocalypse from happening.
Zcherina Villegas:Yeah.
Lyle Wiley:That's our best. Other best chance, probably. Um well, all of that said, let's talk about some speech and debate stuff. This was another really good season for you. You, uh got to go to nationals this year and compete and um, yeah, like other than that, like what were some of the highlights from this year for you? What are some of the memories that you made that you're going to treasure from this year's speech and debate experience as a senior?
Zcherina Villegas:well, like you, it was my senior year and my fourth year competing in speech and debate, and it was definitely a crazy one. It was a roller coaster of emotions and things. So many things happened, I mean throughout every single tournament and everything that would happen throughout the year. Me and my senior friends would go to like our underclassmen friends and be like this is our last second tournament of the year. Are you guys gonna miss us? You're gonna miss us so much. And they'd be like stop, shut up. So that was really.
Zcherina Villegas:That was really fun, but also just like making memories with, uh, with my friends was probably the highlights of this year being able to compete with everyone and really share these last moments of my high school career in an activity that I really care about and I think at Nationals, that was definitely one of my favorite memories. It was, I think, the first day of breaks for supplementals and not breaks, it was just the first day of breaks yeah, the first day of breaks and all of our friends we just kind of gathered around and we were staying in a dorm so we went out to their common area and outside and all of us and all of our team we just kind of hung out and shared some stories and memories and like hugged and cried it was, it was. It was definitely one of my favorite memories at nationals and just overall in speech and debate.
Lyle Wiley:It was kind of cool. You and I got to hang out a little bit at nationals. That was pretty fun. I enjoyed hanging out with you and Andrew. That was great. It was a highlight. What's something like you uniquely learned about yourself or the activity this year in particular? What do you?
Zcherina Villegas:think I honestly I feel like I could say this for every single year, but it's like how to overcome like disappointment and failure and how to use that and feel yourself to want to do better or to move forward, because I know that people can really get caught up on one small thing or things that happen throughout the season and really have it like drag them down or have them just not feel great about themselves, and I think that using those failures and using those things that have brought me down have helped me build some like resilience throughout the season and just be like okay, I do love speech and debate a lot and it's a big part of my life, but also it isn't my life. So, yeah, just something that I think is important, especially when speech and debate has been the thing that I've really grasped onto throughout these four years.
Lyle Wiley:Yeah, finding that balance between allowing it to be an important thing in your life but not taking over to the point that it's an unhealthy thing. Yeah, the relativity of like success and failure is important to keep in mind. If you've worked hard on something and you've put yourself into stuff and you have shared something that's special to you with a bunch of people, then in a lot of ways it's successful, no matter what the rubric is that you're trying to use.
Zcherina Villegas:So that's pretty important.
Lyle Wiley:I want to take a moment for a ghostly interlude. Are you a ghost person? Do you believe in ghosts? Do you believe in the paranormal? Why or why not?
Zcherina Villegas:I think yes, because why not? I mean, why isn't there? Why wouldn't you believe in the paranormal? There's so much that we don't know about this world that you can't outrule the paranormal from actually existing. I feel like I don't even know anything From actually existing. I feel like I don't even know anything. I feel like there's so much that I don't know about the world and anyone doesn't know about the world that there's no way that ghosts don't exist. But maybe we're just not Thinking about it in the right way. There has to be, like some form. There's no way that it doesn't exist, no way.
Lyle Wiley:So you're going with the? We know so little that there's got to be something out there. We might not understand it and I don't really know what it is, but there's something. I think that's probably probably pretty smart and safe response. I like it well.
Lyle Wiley:You don't want to make the ghost mad on your side so, uh, one of the things I wanted to talk to you about moving back into the speech and debate world, which I mean in its own way, is kind of like about horror, ghosty, scary things, but yeah, but I thought it would be interesting for us to talk about keeping your personality in your speeches and in your pieces and in whatever it is that you do, even, I mean, I think even in debates, it could be really important to keep your personality so, and you have like a really great, awesome personality and you've done a good job of integrating who you are into your speeches. So I was just, you know, I wanted to kind of like see what your thoughts were on how to, how to keep yourself and insert yourself into your speeches in an authentic way, you know and insert yourself into your speeches in an authentic way.
Zcherina Villegas:You know, yeah for sure, okay. So when it comes to personality in speeches, I have this like in three sections. So this is for before competition, during competition and after competition. So I think that the best way to insert your personality is to be your most authentic self. I know that for a lot of people it's really easy to just take other people's personality or see what they do well in their speech and take what they have and use it in yours because they're doing good. So then why won't that make me do well as well? But I think that that's where a lot of people fail at that part, because they're just trying to be someone that they're not. So I think that that's where a lot of people fail at that part, because they're just trying to be someone that they're not. So I think that being your most authentic self is going to help you, like, bring out that most natural and authentic personality in your speeches, because overall, that's what judges are looking at. They're not only looking at the content of your speeches, but also how you present yourself, and if it's obvious that you're not being yourself or you kind of cringe every once in a while you tell like some joke, then I don't think that that is the best way to insert that personality, because it isn't yours, because what you're looking at is your personality, not some other person's, but going into more of that content stuff. So this is before competition. So when it comes to putting in your content, like writing down what you actually have to say, this is more so for platform people. So, having a lot of passion, I think about what you care about and I said this in my episode last year, I'm pretty sure but really caring about what you're doing and fueling that passion is going to help you bring out that personality in your speeches. Because if you're talking about, like I don't know, the color pink and your favorite color is red, and you're like, ok, well, I, I like pink, it's not going to, you're not going to actually feel like you like what you're talking about, like you want to talk about the color red, so talk about the color red. I mean, that's obviously some random example, so I don't know if you want to use that, but you know, just actually be passionate about what you're talking about.
Zcherina Villegas:That way your personality is can bleed through your speeches a lot more naturally, and that also has to come with inserting different stories. So, whether that be your own or some other people's, stories that really connect with you and resonate with you as a person, I mean if they resonate with other people. And if they resonate with you, then obviously they're going to resonate with other people, depending on what you want to talk about. So something that you really connect to, and not to say that just because something seems traumatic or because it's oh my gosh, this is so shocking, so obviously it has to do well, like that's usually the thing that people think about oh, this is just so shocking that it's obviously going to do well. It's obviously going to do well. That's not always the case, because that isn't what is the most authentic about your piece, right, you're just doing it because you think it'll do well, not because it actually hits a part of your heart. You know, not just kind of trauma dumping, but really caring about those stories and being authentic.
Zcherina Villegas:And this also goes with a lot of platform too, but also interp. Yeah, I think it goes for any and all speech kids, but on my team we talk about the three H's head, heart and humor. As long as you have those three in your speeches and you're really clocking them down, then I think that would be like if you find something that really hits you in your personality, that you care about, like that's heart, right, and then head, something that you really care about. That's that part. And then humor, just things that you actually find funny. So it comes with like adding jokes and things that'll really engage your audience but also keeps you engaged, because you don't want to be bored as a speaker, especially because you're going to be speaking so many times during a tournament. You don't want to just be like, oh, that joke, that thing, I have to say I mean my coach said it was good, so I guess it's fine, but I don't really like it. So like you have to really take that into account, because if that's not you, then it's not you Right.
Zcherina Villegas:So then that also goes with not only knowing yourself but also knowing your audience. Because, yes, you may want to talk about all these different things that really that really gets you and like, get your humor, but also you have to know your audience and knows what'll know what'll get them. Yes, insert your personality, but also there has to be a level of professionalism to it. You don't want to go all out and then have a judge be like, okay, let me take a step back. What's going on here? This is not really what I want to hear, this is not my speech.
Zcherina Villegas:So just really knowing what type of people that you're speaking to and especially in Wyoming you have to kind of watch out to what you're speaking to. But do not limit yourself and be like, oh, because this judge might be homophobic or something like that, I shouldn't talk about this, even though I really care about it. I'm not saying don't talk about it, but really just know what is good for you to talk about. Like you might all of a sudden get this really young judge that really understands you and gets your piece, but you also might get someone that's a little bit different and doesn't exactly match your views, but also realize that that is maybe who you want to be speaking to and cater your speech to that audience. So then you can now get up those ranks and really show people what you want to talk about.
Zcherina Villegas:But moving forward from that, that's for content and before competition, when you're writing down all your speeches and you're integrating that personality, and now this is for a delivery. So you've got everything written down, you know what you want to say, you got it all memorized and you're in competition. You're ready to go up and let's say that someone has an amazing speech, an amazing topic, all these jokes that are so hard hitting and all this stuff that someone really wants to listen to, but their delivery is flat. So by delivery it's like body language and tone of voice and things like that. Sometimes, I think especially for speech, well, even sometimes debate to honestly, everything is performance.
Zcherina Villegas:You have to honestly, really keep that up, because you may have gone through four rounds throughout the day, or even three rounds. However, however many rounds, you're feeling kind of tired and you're like, oh, I don't want to do the speech anymore. Many rounds and you're feeling kind of tired and you're like, oh, I don't want to do the speech anymore. So you go into your next round. You're like, okay, I'm just gonna just do whatever because I'm tired. You have to really watch what you, how you speak and how you present yourself and your body language and everything that happens in that room, because, honestly, that is how that is. Those are the things that really help the competitors in that room. So that is, those are the things that really help the competitors in that room, like presenting yourself in a way that's like okay, I'm tired, I don't really I don't, I really want to go to bed, but I'm going to deliver this speech the best that I can.
Zcherina Villegas:So it also means changing your tone of voice. You don't want to talk in a way that isn't you right. You don't want to just be like, oh well, this and then right. So like really changing your tone of voice and like varying how you actually sound. Like what I try to do in my speeches is that I'm not a person that just talks like monotone, but I mean, that's just me. So I try to take that into my speeches when I'm talking normally to people, but just elevate it a little bit, because that's what keeps your audience engaged, right.
Zcherina Villegas:So you just got to make sure that you're watching how you're speaking to other people and, um, watching your body language too, like if you look confident, if you, like, are speaking your jokes and you're like, oh, that's not that funny. So you speak it as if it's not that funny. That isn't really going to help. So, just acting like you wrote the speech, you like your speech, you're funny, you're going to deliver it like it's funny, this is yours, no one else's. And even if you're like, oh, what if they don't like it? Okay, as long as you like it, that's all that matters. Honestly, that's really all that matters.
Zcherina Villegas:But that also goes with not looking like you don't want to be there, right, because you're here for a reason. You want to be here to speak about what you're most passionate about and just really delivering yourself as you would, talking to a normal person, because, at the end of the day, that's what you're doing having a genuine and honest conversation or telling a story about something that you really care about. So, um, yeah, just watching those delivery habits. So that is what I have for during competition and that is this last part. Okay, bear with me. Okay, so this is for after the competition, when you're going through all the ballots and stuff.
Zcherina Villegas:Um, I know we were talking about inserting your personality and into the speech, but after competition, I realized that a lot of my peers and fellow competitors and other people they'll look at their ballots and be really discouraged about what judges have to say to them and be like, okay, well, I don't. The judge said that they didn't like this part, but that was more of me into my speech. So does that mean I have to change it? Or like, does this stuff have to happen?
Zcherina Villegas:Or even if coaches give you some type of advice that you're not really taking, you don't know that you don't have to take their advice. Like, if you really don't think that that is something that's true to you and true to yourself, true to your personality, then don't take it. Like you don't always have to take things so seriously. You don't have to be so overcritical, you don't have to be so overly critical of yourself, because at the end of the day, you're just here to improve yourself and speak about what you want to talk about. So just be aware of that good and bad advice and really stay true to yourself. Be your most authentic self. So that's what I have for those three points on personality.
Lyle Wiley:I think that's some really good advice.
Lyle Wiley:I think that I've talked with a bunch of people about platform and how you know it's kind of dangerous to insert yourself into stuff because then you're invested in a way that that's the nature of our activity is that it's competitive, and so you get ranked and you get it and you get feedback, and that feedback might be like meant to be helpful but can be, can be read in some ways that are you know, that can kind of make you feel as though the parts of the speech that bring up is that it's important for coaches and judges to also be aware that, especially in platform speeches but I think in all pieces, like people put parts of themselves and things, and so the way we respond to performance and to written speeches and everything is pretty it's important to be careful because it becomes pretty personal, because people have put a lot of themselves into this.
Lyle Wiley:But then also for competitors, important to know when to compromise. And feedback can always be helpful but it doesn't mean you always take it, it doesn't always mean that you use it that you use it Like.
Lyle Wiley:I like your point too about, you know, thinking about your audience, and maybe this is not the audience that's going to be most receptive to what it is you have to say, but maybe that the audience need to hear it the most and maybe that's the whole point. So that's, that's some good stuff. Some good stuff in there. Yeah, I like it, thank you. Have you had moments where you felt sort of personally attacked by comments and suggestions because of the personal stuff in your speeches?
Zcherina Villegas:Oh yes, especially when I was doing so my first year that I did oratory because I wrote about skin bleaching and colorism, specifically within the Asian community, and I got this one ballot from a judge who was like, oh well, this isn't real, this isn't true, because everyone's trying to look tan like you. We're already in a point where this doesn't exist anymore and I was just like dang, why did you have to say that to me? I mean, I thought it was hilarious because I was like this girl doesn't know what the heck she's talking about. But sometimes that's just what you have to do. Just realize that. Okay, I'm not taking that at all, but that's all right Because you know, I still like what I'm talking about, because I was really scared about what people would say, especially living in a really white place like Wyoming, and I didn't want people to have such negative feedback, but they needed to hear it.
Lyle Wiley:So they heard it, yeah, and that's a pretty good example of something that it's good that you didn't change, that you kept because, it was yours and it was important to the speech, but also kind of you know you're informing people about things that they don't know about and maybe they don't accept right away, so but I don't know. That's like kind of the beautiful thing about what speech is is we get to advocate for and inform people about things that are important. I do want to hear from you also like examples of times or stories that you've overcome like spooky obstacles or scary times in speech that helped you kind of learn. I think some of the stuff we're talking about I mean all of what we talk about a lot of times is about like overcoming difficult things and improving and dealing with hard stuff. But do you have any like interesting stories about scary times that, like you've overcome from speech and debate?
Zcherina Villegas:Oh, so many.
Lyle Wiley:Yeah.
Zcherina Villegas:I have two in mind, okay. So the first one that I have is when I first joined speech and debate. That was scary in itself. I mean I was looking at all these people scary in itself. I mean I was looking at all these people. I just walked into this room at my school and all these people, they were like congregating and doing these weird things and like I was like, okay, yeah, I'm not doing this, this is way too scary for me. And then all of a sudden, I started doing it and I got to my first competition and it was so, so scary. I was scared and I was like I feel weird, like I'm not used to this.
Zcherina Villegas:But sometimes you realize that you just have to, like take risks. Sometimes that's like just the best way to overcome it and like not to just because you're freaking out and like don't want to try, it doesn't mean that is a bad thing for you. Sometimes that's what you need. You know. Just facing your fears, that's like the best way to overcome them. And it's like I was so scared to try something new. And that is honestly what led me down the path that I went down in speech and debate, like overcoming that pressure to not be weird and not want to do something that I'm not used to, because at first I was really scared and I didn't want to. I was kind of eyeing this event called Oratory I don't know if you've heard of it but I was like, oh, that sounds something like I might want to do my freshman year. But then I was like, but I don't know anyone, and what if I have no one in the event that I'm in and I don't make any friends and I'm sad and all alone and I don't want to be here anymore. So I was like, ok, I'll just do something that one of my friends is doing. And so I did it. And I was like, yeah, I don't think this is for me.
Zcherina Villegas:So then I tried, tried oratory the next year, and that was took that risk. I mean, who knows if I was going to be good at it or not, but at the end of the day, that is what helped me love speech and debate. Like I love that event and I love platform. It's just always been my thing, you know, and I wish I took more risks, honestly, in my career. I mean I wish that I could have competed in more events and not let that fear of trying something new, trying something scary, overcome me. Like I've always wanted to try and dabble in some more interp events I thought. I always think that those are the coolest events. I love watching them and, um, I just think that performance is so cool. But you know, just try to explore. I mean, you're in high school. There's no better place to try new things.
Zcherina Villegas:So, but that was that was like my first like moments of scary in speech and debate. But I I figured, as you go along the line, things kind of get scarier, things get a little real and and, um, this is from this year actually. Um, I had, uh, like you think that after four years of competition, you're like, ok, I should be good by now. Right, I'm not scared of anything. But even as a four year competitor, or no matter how old you are, how long you've been competing in speech and debate, you still get those really scary moments where you're like, oh my God, what's going to happen?
Zcherina Villegas:So I think it was in May, sometime in the spring, I was competing in two speech competitions at the same time on the same day, like two completely different ones. So I was in last chance qualifier and this was virtual and I had to do everything over Zoom. But I was also in a scholarship like speaking competition, and that one was in person and that was doing that itself was so scary. And then so I was competing. I would compete in person in a room at one point and then run back to another room and go compete and do my speech in another room and by the end of the day the building that I was using was like, oh, we can't have you here anymore.
Zcherina Villegas:And the last chance competition was still going on and I was like, oh shoot, what the heck am I going to do? So I was so scared and I was like, oh, my gosh, it's over for me, no-transcript. I was like, okay, where's the nearest Walmart? Because none of the libraries or anything was open either. So I so I went to Walmart and I ran to the family bathroom and I was like, hey, we're ready to compete. And it was. I mean, that's an extreme situation, but it was. I swear that was the most scary thing that has happened all year. But sometimes you gotta face that fear and just do what you gotta do. You never know like. I didn't, definitely did not expect to be doing some competition in a Walmart family bathroom, but, but, but I mean, life excites you every day.
Lyle Wiley:Never a dull moment, and, uh, I don't, I mean I that's probably one of the great things that you've taken from speech. Debate is just the ability to adapt to all kinds of really ridiculous scenarios.
Zcherina Villegas:Yeah.
Lyle Wiley:But yeah, never a dull moment, never a dull moment. Are you going to miss all that, though? Right?
Zcherina Villegas:I mean I think that, like I said earlier, I indulge in the thrill. I think that the thrill and kind of the scares that I've gotten through speech and debate have been more of the like exciting times in my high school career and I'm really grateful for them cool.
Lyle Wiley:That's that's cool, yeah, well, uh, we'll revisit like whether or not this is all worth it in the long run at the end, but uh but what's what's next for you, sharina? Like what? What's your? What are your plans outside of school now? Like where are you headed?
Zcherina Villegas:all right. So I'm going to be going to college and going to be at the university of wyoming um, right now I'm on the english major track but I'm hopefully um wanting to add another major and so I want to double major in English and anthropology and because I just really I really like studying culture and people and like literature and texts and society I don't know something that speech and debate has definitely sparked for me and even going to doing more research. I think research has definitely been a thing that I've just always loved and always loved doing, even just on my own time, just looking up things and be like, oh, whoa, what's this? So I think I'd want to be a professor when I get older. I don't know that could change, but I like speaking. I mean, I like talking to other people and research, love research, and I'd like to keep studying those things and just continue, continue learning and expanding my knowledge on the current world that we live in and, yeah, just just go along as everything comes.
Lyle Wiley:It's exciting, Like I'm sure you'll get it figured out as you as you go, and that sounds like fun. I'd like to close out our interview with a question. I've been asking folks about whether or not speech rather die than speak in front of the public, and yet we in the speech debate community do this on the regular. So the question is why is it worth it? Why is it worth all of that fear and terror?
Zcherina Villegas:Well, the thing that got me and got me really hooked into speech debate is, I don't know, I felt like I was really lost as a little freshman and I was really scared and I didn't know what to do. But the community and speech and debate really helped me like want to keep doing it, and not only that, I not only found a community of my own to help me as a person, but I also found that I was really growing into myself as a person. I had always really been interested in current events and things that were happening, but speech and debate really fueled that fire and helped me grow into my own person and form my own opinions and actually know what the heck is going on and it honestly it really helps you grow as a person. Like.
Zcherina Villegas:There's so many people that I've seen that come in and out of this activity a completely different person and like, like in their final form I mean not yet, but reaching their final form of evolution, like some kind of Pokemon or something, and it's like really cool to see like even just my sister, um, I kind of coerced them into joining speech and debate with me, but just seeing them grow and not being able to talk to people like the first couple weeks of high school to all of a sudden performing a speech to some random strangers and really performing it with so much life in their eyes and really caring about what they're talking about is some of my favorite things.
Zcherina Villegas:So really being able to grow into your own self in my own skin and feel comfortable and also just like the life skills like being able to adapt to some random things that happen Like who would have thought that I would be performing in a Walmart family bathroom? Or speaking in a room full of strangers randomly, or going to like places like Iowa for fun voluntarily and being able to do all these weird things Like it's speech and debate really helps you overcome challenges that and build some resilience. So and I think that no matter what fear and anything that may come your way, ultimately speech and debate is what's worth it.
Lyle Wiley:Yeah, thank you for that, sharina, that's lovely. Thank you so much for being on the podcast and I'm sure I'll have you back again soon, right?
Zcherina Villegas:Yes, yes Okay.
Lyle Wiley:Good. Thank you so much to Sharina for stopping by and offering wisdom here at Camp One Clap. It's always great to have her here and I hope to have her back in the future. What's going on in the Clapocalypse? Tomorrow, solomon Henderson will be back at camp to talk about overcoming fears and busting ghosts. Remember to check out the social media challenges on our socials and we'll see you tomorrow. Campers, it was interesting working with the ghost while planning the podcast. He mapped out all of his ideas using ghosted notes. Yeah, his process was very transparent For Camp One Clap. This is Camp Director Wiley signing off.