Just a few years ago, Naperville Central sophomore Debabandya Dash would have never expected to be shining as a speech team member. But after his older brother, Debasnata Dash, participated in an American Legion Oratorical Contest, an academic speaking challenge about American Citizenship and history, he was instantly hooked by the activity.
“I definitely would not say I was an outgoing kid by any means,” Debabandya Dash said. “[But] I think by doing [public speaking] again and again, I developed a passion for it.”
What began as an unexpected challenge in middle school has evolved into a passion that has continued to him being an active member of Central’s speech team.
Debasnata Dash ended up finishing second in the American Legion contest. Debabandya Dash made a promise to one day “avenge” his brother and place himself first. In seventh grade, Debabandya Dash placed second, but in eighth grade, he managed to earn first.
Debabandya Dash performs his speech at the post competition for American Legion in eighth grade. Dash placed first in the district round of the competition after placing second the year prior. (Photo courtesy of Debabandya Dash)
Later in eighth grade, Debabandya Dash was given another unexpected opportunity. He was selected to give a speech for his class’s moving-on ceremony.
“One of my teachers came up to me and said they were in between selecting 7-10 people for the speech at the ceremony, and they finally agreed upon me,” Debabandya Dash said. “At first, I was really confused, but after that, I felt really honored because I got to represent the [Kennedy Junior High] team. It was one of those speeches I truly enjoyed and was in the moment the whole time.”
When he entered high school, Debabandya Dash started looking for clubs to join. Already juggling time-consuming activities like marching band, Debabandya Dash had to choose wisely.
“I was going to [join] Debate Team, but my brother was already in speech and he tried to convince me to join,” Debabandya Dash said.
After further persuasions from a classmate in marching band, Debabandya Dash took his brothers’ suggestion and joined Speech, drawn to its creative nature.
“I wanted to do [Speech Team] because I wanted to do something lyrical and expressive rather than what debate was, but actually, I got recommended for extemporaneous speaking, which is all about the nerdy part [and] answering a political question,” Debabandya Dash said.“My whole thought process then was ‘why don’t I just go to debate?’”
Despite his doubts, Debabandya Dash persevered — and ended up enjoying both Speech Team and Extemporaneous Speaking more than he originally expected. His hard work eventually paid off, and he was selected to represent Central’s team in the IHSA State Series as only a freshman. He placed fourth at the regional competition on Feb. 3.
“[My brother] likes taking initiative [and] he wants to do a lot of things,” Debasnata Dash said. “I’ll give him advice, but I can’t say I’m too involved in his whole process. If he can continue [to] keep growing with the way he’s going, he’ll be fine; he’ll [create] his own legacy.”
Though his brother sparked an initial interest in public speaking, Debabandya Dash hopes to further improve in speech past his involvement in his high school team.
“Speech is something I am really grateful for,” Debabandya Dash said. “Being able to touch people with your words is something I’ve always wanted to do.”
Elaine Zhou and Vanshika Shadadpuri contributed to this story