Throughout my experiences, I have acquired many critical skills that will prove essential to my career.
PUBLIC SPEAKING
Throughout my high school career, I have been a dominant competitor in speech and debate. I compete in the Varsity division for both Congressional Debate and Extemporaneous Speech. As a consequence of these experiences, I have learned how to confidently speak in front of large audiences.
Description of Events
In Congressional Debate, I deliver three minute long pre-prepared speeches on policy-oriented topics in mock legislative sessions. As part of this, I have drafted “bills” (proposed laws) and “resolutions” (position statements), which have been selected by major tournaments such as the 2017 California High School Speech Association (CHSSA) State Qualifiers as topics for student debate. Meanwhile, in Extemporaneous Speech, I have delivered seven minute long memorized speeches, given only thirty minutes of preparation, on topics focusing on global and domestic affairs.
Congressional Debate Competitive Record (2018)
◦ The James Logan Invitational, Semifinalist;
◦ The Cal Invitational, Finalist, 3rd place overall, earned a bid to the Tournament of Champions;
◦ The CFL State Qualifiers, Finalist, 5th place overall;
◦ Competed at the CHSSA State Tournament (California).
Congressional Debate Competitive Record (2017)
◦ The James Logan Invitational, Semifinalist;
◦ The Cal Invitational, Semifinalist;
◦ The CFL State Qualifiers, Finalist, 11th place overall;
◦ The NSDA National Qualifiers (California Coast), 5th place overall, 3rd alternate to Nationals;
◦ Competed at the CHSSA State Tournament (California).
In recognition of my competitive achievement, I also hold officer positions within the club, serving as the two-time Congressional Debate Captain and the Treasurer. These experiences have shaped me into an assertive public speaker and have made me far more qualified to be a Software Architect, as the position requires strong public speaking abilities, to communicate and present information to co-workers, in order to effectively collaborate on large projects. To see some snapshots from my three years in debate, check out my Speech and Debate gallery here.
EVENT PLANNING
Anyone wishing to advance from a entry-level position as a Software Architect ought have the ability to organize promotional events and/or internal social events for their company in their back pocket at all times, to differentiate oneself from the flock. As my successful tenures in both the Middle Level and American Enterprise project committees in my local chapter, I have gained the ability to organize large events and coordinate with others to make said events successful. This ability, to organize and promote real-life events, will be absolutely critical to my mobility in the field of Software Architecture.
Pseudo-Bay Sections (2016-2017)
I helped run the Pseudo-Bay Sections, an annual mock FBLA conference which gives middle-schoolers the opportunity to attempt competitive events that they would not otherwise be able to experience before high school. Annually, roughly 200 students are in attendance. I was responsible for assigning competitive events for students from the 87-member strong chapter at Hyde Middle School, which sent a delegation of more than twenty students to the conference. I was responsible for preparing them for the oral, presentation-centric events.
Holiday Marketplace (2018)
Through my position on the American Enterprise committee, I helped operate our annual Holiday Marketplace Faire. Over a period of five weeks, the committee delivered presentations to students at Sedgwick Elementary School on topics such as personal finance, e-business, and entrepreneurship. Then, on the official event day, we gave approximately 80 elementary schoolers the opportunity to operate booths and sell products that they designed, produced, and marketed themselves.
Promotional Work
I have attached a few examples of the promotional content I generated for the American Enterprise Committee, demonstrating my mastery of design software and public relations. I even starred in a comically-bad promotional video for our American Enterprise Week, which garnered more than 1400 views on Facebook. I have attached a link to the video here. As for graphic design work, I have placed one example thereof in the left sidebar of this webpage, and I have linked another example here.
MUSIC
Since elementary school, I have been passionate about playing musical instruments. I have played the Alto Saxophone for the last six years. Since my sophomore year, I have played with the highest ranking music class available in CHS, the audition-only Wind Ensemble. Moreover, I have publicly performed on the Soprano Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone, and the guitar. In the 7th and 8th grades, I lead a Saxophone Trio, earning awards of excellence at the CMEA Solo-Ensemble Festival. In the coming year, I will be the Section Leader of the Saxophone Section in the CHS Marching Band. I have been willing to invest a great deal of my time into pursuing music, because I feel that it is important for everyone, regardless of their career choices, to have interests outside of work. Music has always been one of mine. Check out my image gallery celebrating my six years playing musical instruments.