contestant number

15 Sophia Ariana
prpo the world around you the world
around you sopia Ariana
pru I'm embarrassed not long ago I was
at a public speaking competition similar
to this one and I was terrified along
with my good friend Asia now Asia and I
were the only two girls representing our
school in the competition so girls being
girls we went to laboratory
together now we were both extremely
nervous reciting our speeches in
Whispers And as we were walking to the
toilet we continued reciting our
speeches walking into the first room we
saw after doing my business I washed my
hands still reciting my speech that's
when I noticed a figure staring at me a
person with short hair and a muscular
build not one you'd expect from a girl
but I didn't want to
assume that's when I noticed the
urinals I call out Asia she's standing
at the doorway Sophia Sophia this is a
boy's
toilet I'm clearly not not a
boy how many of you have experienced
this before please raise your
hand thank you I feel slightly better
about
myself now the reason Asia and I went
into the boy toilet was because we were
so engrossed in our speeches trying to
memorize and concentrate that we failed
to look at the world around
us then let me tell you another story
similar to this one it was around the
examination season I was halfhazard
looking through my flashcards submitting
assignment after assignment trying to
remember everything my mother had taken
me out to eat trying to wind me down we
went to a restaurant she went to the
labatory I hope she went to the right
one and I was looking at my phone
texting and there was a blind couple
seated next to me I heard the wife
Speak oh darling there's flowers
here flowers how lovely I wonder what
species they
are I turned to look over at them huh
flowers I wonder why we didn't get any
then I looked over at my table and there
they were beautiful orchids in a an
onate
vest the blind couple had something that
I didn't even without sight they could
still see the beauty of the world around
them
I was more blind than the blind I failed
to see the flowers that were situated
right in front of me I didn't realize
that there was Beauty all around me and
I was under the false impression that I
had less than them not having the
flowers when in actual fact they were
right there on my
table afterwards I realized there is
beauty all around us that we fail to
appreciate every day so I'm here
standing on this stage telling you enjoy
that melodious pitter patter of the
Falling Rain the smell of someone's
perfume the shade of light in a
room it may potentially save you from an
embarrassing
situation but it may also make you
realize how fortunate we are to live in
this beautiful world the world is full
of magical things waiting for our senses
to get sharper thank
you