Nusrat Amin is a junior at Lincoln East who has been involved in the school’s speech team since her freshman year. She is a major contributor to the renowned success of East Speech as she has been a part of the back-to-back NSAA Class A State Championships won in 2023 and 2024. Amin originally joined the extracurricular with the intent of overcoming anxiety associated with speaking in front of people. During her time with East Speech, she has certainly done that and more.

“Over the course of my three years of doing speech, I’ve definitely become a better speaker, and I’ve definitely learned a lot more about how to convey a message, read an audience, make eye contact, and really connect with people on a personal level without talking one-on-one with them,” Amin said.

Aside from the practical skills that come with being involved in speech, she has also learned life lessons that she can apply to other aspects of her life.

“You are not defined by what one judge thinks of you and what one ranking you get,” Amin said. “We have to be comfortable with knowing that that isn’t how we are really perceived by other people, and we shouldn’t perceive ourselves like that either.”

Winning multiple state championships, excelling in various competitions, and qualifying for the NIETOC and NSDA tournaments, Amin has grown tremendously from when she first began. Her success does not go unrecognized as a fellow teammate, junior Max Apel, notes of her strong work ethic.

“To excel in nearly anything requires a strong dedication, but Nusrat goes far beyond just that,” Apel said. “She is constantly asking, ‘What can I fix?’, ‘What can I change?’, ‘What should I add?’, with the intention to improve her pieces and strive for greater performances. I have always admired how Nusrat pushes herself and those surrounding. She cherishes the process but is never content until the job is complete.”

Out of the ten high school speech events offered in Nebraska, Amin takes part in HI (Humorous Interpretation), DI (Dramatic Interpretation), and Entertainment. Competing in the maximum of three events, some of the biggest takeaways she has learned is to be bold and try new things.

“Don’t be intimidated by the competition,” Amin said. “You have to come in with a lot of confidence knowing that you can lose, rather than coming in with little to no confidence and later thinking you could’ve won if you had more confidence. Have a lot of trust and believe in yourself.”