When most people think of Lily Staton, they think of her starring roles in Seattle Academy’s upper school musicals. Lily excels at theater, but recently she stepped outside of her comfort zone by trying her hand at speech.
She entered the world of speech simply because she had friends in the program, and wanted the chance to have Joel Underwood as a teacher. To her surprise, she found that delivering a speech was a lot like the work she had done in theater. She expected to feel lost and overwhelmed, but her eight years of acting helped make up for her lack of experience in speech.
Lily approached the competition with low expectations. She assumed that because it was her first year, she would not do well. She only went to the competition because it was a requirement for the class. She never thought about where she stood in comparison to the other competitors.
“I wasn’t nervous," Lily said. "I just went for it because I didn’t think I would win. The fact that I didn’t put any pressure on myself helped me I think." This mindset allowed her to put herself out there. Those who watched her perform have nothing but raving reviews.
Many were surprised that Lily had won the state competition for Humorous Interpretation. Lily was shocked because she entered the competition thinking she did not have a shot. Her peers were happy for her and said that she really deserved it. This newly discovered talent opened a completely new world for Lily, and she continues to participate in speech this year.
Instead of Humorous Interpretation like last year, Lily is trying something new and doing a dramatic interpretation as well as a humorous duo with Tessa Malone '18 (the previous year’s state champion). With both of their records of accomplishment, they are sure to excel in this year’s competitions with the support of their friends as well as the entire Seattle Academy community.