Finalist Richard Lopez ’18 delivers his speech.
The audience waited with bated breath as Richard Lopez ’18 composed himself in the middle of an emotional speech about his mother, an undocumented immigrant. After he finished his speech, everyone gave him a standing ovation.
Four students competed in the final round of the Pratt-Packard Declamation Contest during school meeting this Wednesday: Lopez, Mpilo Norris ’18, Melody Li ’18, and Bryce Wachtell ’17. Judges declared Lopez as the winner and the 2017 Charles Krause Junior Fellow. Lopez will receive $750, and his name will be inscribed on the Charles Krause Junior Fellow silver bowl. The other finalists will receive monetary prizes.
“While I was writing the speech, I was thinking about every single experience I’ve had in the past as the son of an undocumented immigrant,” Lopez said. “The Pratt-Packard gave me an opportunity to make me feel proud of this rather than ashamed, because it was a beautiful thing for me to tell a story shared by millions to the school.”
His speech centered on the importance of hearing the stories of undocumented immigrants, such as those of his mother. Going into the final round, Lopez was simultaneously nervous and excited. “It’s just the topic of the speech, that’s what’s mainly been giving me anxiety. It’s an issue that’s very prominent in today’s society, and so I’m really
anxious about the reactions after I give the speech.”
Lopez had not planned to write his speech on immigration. However, he soon changed his mind. “When I started writing the speech I have now, every word came flowing out of me. I remember getting excited and passionate about every single word that I was typing. My heart was racing, and when I felt that emotion come out into words, that’s how I knew it was the right topic choice,” he said.
Additionally, he felt compelled to respond to the current state of politics. “One of the biggest things that affected me this year was the election and what has been said about people. When I heard our President describing undocumented immigrants as rapists bringing crimes into America, I felt really hurt and frustrated that he was disgracing the name of immigrants. Though I’m not an undocumented, I am personally affected by this issue. That’s when I decided someone needs to give a whole new name to immigrants.”
The other finalists appreciated the opportunity to share their speeches with the school.
Wachtell said, “I recognize that there is a huge pool of individuals who submitted speeches and went through the process, and I’m ecstatic to have been chosen and so thankful for the opportunity to share what I wrote on a bigger stage.”
“I was very blessed to be part of the group that was part of the four finalists because I know we had a lot of very strong speeches,” Norris agreed. “I think the most meaningful part of the process was when I listened to the semifinalist speeches. Being able to hear these very thought-provoking speeches and all the talent and emotion and skill in the room was really humbling for me.”
“After this contest, I feel like I have become more mature and can understand more fully other people’s experiences. I feel like I understand the phrase ‘you don’t know me until you know me’ much more,” Li said. “Seeing the stories behind all these people and contrasting them with the assumptions I had made, I was amazed. I found it so empowering to hear everyone’s stories and learn about how resilient some people could be.”
The Choate School and Rosemary Hall have held public speaking contests from as far back as the early twentieth century. The Pratt-Packard started in 1985 as the final exam in the Public Speaking Course before becoming an all-school event in 2001, thanks to the support of Mr. Charles Krause III ’51.
One Comment