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• In your experience, what specific benefits or unique opportunities have you gained through your membership in the Rhetorical Roar Toastmasters International Club?
• Soon this club will be celebrating its 10 year anniversary. I'm an original charter member here. It's kind of funny, but I joined because I needed new friends. There were some major changes going on at home, and the dynamic shifted in my office. I no longer knew what my purpose was. Upon joining, I immediately felt charged and made sure my time spent in Rhetorical Roar was meaningful. I have served as a club officer every year since. Year 3, the opportunity arose to serve as an Area Director. This is where I was able to cultivate strengths I was not aware of. I had earned the Distinguished Toastmaster in year 4. When family or office dynamics shift, we can feel lost. Serving in the capacity that I did made me feel found. It allowed me to gain a new sense of compassion for myself and others. I've been to in-person meetings all over Central and western New York as well as California and Italy. I've lost count of the meetings I attended virtually. I have met so many interesting people. I feel enriched every time I attend a meeting. New friends were the thing I needed. Some of my best friends came out of Toastmasters, for that I am truly blessed.
• What brought you to Rhetorical RoarToastmasters?
• Have you ever looked for a place that you could be your 100% self, flaws and all? That's what I found at Rhetorical RoarToastmasters a sense of belonging, of community, a culture of acceptance that is often hard to find specifically in the professional development world. At Rhetorical Roar. I found a club that would invest not just in my professional goals of becoming a better public speaker, communicator, listener, and leader, but they invested in me as a person. They care about my personal life, my career goals, my family.As a member of Rhetorical Roar Toastmasters, I found a sense of belonging and authenticity, individuals that would support me as a 100% person, not just professionally, but personally and oftentimes through career trajectory, I lean in harder to Rhetorical Roar for that positive and safe space. And for that, I thank them.