Achieving an award in something that is the culmination of your hard work and effort is probably one of the best feelings in life. To know that you’ve been recognized for everything you’ve done for months and years is a humbling experience. The National Speech & Debate Association’s Academic All American award is one of those awards that depict academic rigor, competitive speech and debate success, and personal excellence in a student. From the more than 141,000 student members of the National Speech & Debate Association, fewer than 1% of students earn the Academic All American award every year, which is why I’m proud to share with you all that a student from our school, a very hardworking and ambitious senior in fact, has been granted this accomplishment. Delaney Krieger started her Speech and Debate career as a freshman and has now been acknowledged for her efforts as a clever student with much potential and promise. Here are a few words from Delaney regarding her journey.

Q: How did you become interested in Speech and Debate and how long have you been in it?
A: As an eighth grader, I shadowed a freshman who happened to be participating in Mr. Rumsey’s class debates for English. After just one class period, I was instantly hooked and joined my following freshman year! But little did I know, this activity was going to become one of my main passions, to which I would dedicate countless hours for the next four years.

Q: What was your journey like, from when you started to where you are now?
A: In my freshman year, I was pretty quiet and shy. However, through Speech and Debate, I somewhat came into my own and by senior year, I found my place not only on the team, but also in high school as a whole.

Q: Any take-away points you’ve learned while doing Speech and Debate?
A: Speech and Debate has taught me that you should take steps into places you might not know where your foot will land. Taking advantage of every opportunity that is presented gives you higher chances at finding something you love to do.

Q: Do you plan on continuing it in the future if possible?
A: I would love to continue Speech and Debate in college!

Congratulations to Delaney! Keep working smarter and not just harder! It’s not easy to be willing to work for something you want, but if it is something you really desire, then the only way to have it is through determination and patience. Never give up on your dreams, as cheesy as that sounds. As long as you do your best and understand that you will have to take a tiresome but thrilling journey to grow, there’s nothing that can stop you.