Katarina Feetham -- Duke

As I hold my tour leader sign in the air, I get excited knowing I’m about to spend the next 90 minutes doing the thing I love the most: talking. 

When I was in elementary school, my teachers would write on my report cards: Kata is an enthusiastic student and participates often, but has a tendency to speak when not called on. I knew I was talkative, but I never thought people didn’t like me for it until fourth grade. In one of my classes, a boy turned around to tell me that I was annoying and should stop talking so much. I immediately froze. Tears stung my eyes as I stared at him, unable to form a reply. Was I annoying? 

Instead of answering the question, I decided to keep my words to myself. Twenty-four hours later, I concluded that elementary school boys were dumb and made the executive decision to go back to talking.  

These days, I still love to participate and ask questions. Mine is always the first hand up in class. Sometimes, this enthusiasm is annoying. It took me until freshman year to see that.  

My Biology teacher, Ms. Holstein, was lecturing on mitotic failure. Since Bio was my favorite subject, I was eager to inhale the information as fast as possible. As she went through the powerpoint, I couldn’t keep my hand down. “Wait. So what happens to the cells with extra chromosomes?”

“Kata,” she said. “It’s on the next slide.” I pestered her with a few more questions until she said, “If I answer this on the next slide, you’re banned from speaking for the rest of class.” 

Being muted is my worst nightmare. What if I actually have a good question? I lowered my hand and kept quiet. While I knew she was joking, I could also tell she was kind of annoyed. Her comment took me right back to fourth grade. 

After class, Ms. Holstein said, “You don’t need to stop talking altogether, but some questions are appropriate, and some are just interruptions. Maybe there’s a more appropriate place to reroute your passion for speaking.”

At the end of that year, I found the perfect outlet. I applied to be a student ambassador because I love talking about things I love. Even after having led almost 20 tours over the last few years, I still find joy in sharing my favorite experiences to prospective parents and students. I talk about the school travel opportunities, highlighting my science trip to Iceland and how the northern lights were worth the 2 am wake up. I tell the incoming 6th graders not to be upset that music is required their first year because guitar is still one of my most relaxing and fun classes. I tell them they may meet their best friend on the school bus or in a science lab. If they’re worried the teachers are scary, I reassure them they’re all very supportive and may end up teaching them more than just biology. 

It’s taken me a little longer than some of my teachers would have liked, but when the floor is open for questions, I’ve learned how to wait my turn. I sift through the millions of questions racing through my mind and ask the best one. I’ve also found more appropriate places to speak, because it’s unlikely I’ll ever stop talking. I don’t want to change who I am, but I’ve learned how to channel my personal challenge into a strength.