恭喜高一忠班莊力嘉同学在由马来西亚英语演讲联盟（ESUM）以及泰莱大学主办的2021公开演讲比赛闯入全国十强！据悉，该项赛事开放16-20岁学生报名参加，赛事耗时一个月余。学生必须从初赛、半决赛缴交作品，总决赛则在4月24日实体在吉隆坡进行。

莊同学是沙巴州唯一闯入总决赛的学生，也是唯一的独中生，也因为疫情的缘故，她在决赛当天仅能现场连线，也不克出席颁奖典礼。这几天，莊同学甫收到奖状与RM 150的奖金，学校也迫不及待想和大家分享这项喜讯。

以下是莊同学的心得：

Kualla Kobayashi Sharing :
The competition, which was held online, was convenient, especially during the pandemic when everyone is holed up at home. There were minute details I had to grasp to pass up the perfect submission for the competition, things that were mostly overlooked. For example, camera placing, background, and the surrounding noise. To say that these minuscule factors have such huge effects, truly was astounding, but seeing was believing.

Given my lack of experience in Public Speaking, I worked hard to keep up with my fellow participants and have learnt lots from them. They are all very charismatic and I am delighted to be able to make new friendships. Most importantly, I am ever grateful to my mother who stuck by me and gave me unending support even if she is bewildered as to why I am participating in a competition I had no experience in.

It is important to grasp opportunities that come knocking at your door. To quote William Arthur Ward, "Opportunities are like sunrises. If you wait too long, you miss them."