Eight years ago at a conference for the SEED Institute, I blanked out for 30 seconds in front of an audience of 300. The SEED Institute is an organization helping disabled individuals start their own businesses. I became aware of the Institute when I began losing my sight in 1992, at the age of 21, two years after which I was declared legally blind, from the eye disease glaucoma.
As a member of the disabled entrepreneur community, I felt honored to be invited to speak, however for the 30 seconds when my mind went utterly blank and my mouth completely silent, I almost regretted having accepted the invitation. This mortifying moment, witnessed by so many, was my impetus for joining Toastmasters International. It has been one of the best things I have done for my business, my community and myself.
My sight was taken away at a relatively early age, but Toastmasters gave me the power to overcome my disability by using and developing my voice to sell myself, my company, and my messages. It has helped me directly with sales, leadership, communication, and negotiation skills, and provided a venue for effective networking. I served for a year as the President of Club # 3828, "Eclectic Dialectic" in Cerritos and competed in speech contests across the state. These competitions broadened my perspective and inspired me to deliver my message to a larger audience.
My experiences with Toastmasters also motivated me to earn my teaching credential in public speaking. Everyday, I reinforce my teaching curriculum with the skills I learned from Toastmasters International.
I am working now to win the International Speech Contest, having placed this year as a runner-up in the Founder's District competition, and one day to earn a DTM. I look to help blind students develop their speaking voice and create larger opportunities for themselves both in the workplace and socially through my non-profit organization, Blind Start of America. Fourteen years after first having opened California Educational Centers, Inc., a tutoring company providing academic solutions to students of all ages, my business is thriving and I can see us expanding into a larger community. My personal, entrepreneurial, and speaking future is promising, thanks in large part to the eight years I worked with Toastmasters International; this organization has allowed me to truly see the potential that lies within speaking with a vision.