Although this was an experience I had my senior year of high school, I have added it here because it was late in the year and I think that it illustrates a transition in my professional life. I had the opportunity to give a TED talk in my hometown of The Woodlands, Texas. I remember writing the speech and being extremely happy with how well thought out it sounded. The only problem was that attempting to memorize this speech word for word was not the right approach. Forgetting a paragraph during the talk, I was forced to improvise part of it. Although this is not apparent within the recorded talk, it is something that I vividly remember. Nevertheless, this talk taught me a great deal about public speaking to a professional audience, and the journey that it takes to get there. It was truly one of the greatest experiences I had during high school and I am extremely thankful to have been given the opportunity. I hope to be able to give another one in the future.