501 LIFE YOUTH OF THE MONTH BEEBE
Finding his voice Teen ready for the future thanks to rodeo, FFA By Dwain Hebda
There was a time not long ago that Shayde Harris wouldn’t have imagined participating in a public speaking competition – until just a few years ago, the Beebe teen was far more comfortable rodeoing. But today, the senior is a champion public speaker and a two-term president of Beebe High School’s Future Farmers of America (FFA) chapter. It’s been a journey worth taking, he said. “FFA helped me professionally, helped me grow as a leader,” he said. “When I was little, I stuttered badly and still do, actually. I was always talkative and social and loved attention, but all the different public speaking I’ve had to do, and the presentations and the constant support and encouragement I’ve had, that really helped me a lot. “That’s not the same for everybody, I guess; I guess it’s more specific to myself, but that’s what’s impacted me the most from FFA. It’s literally taught me how to speak.” Talking to Harris today, one hardly notices the speech impediment. All you really notice is the quality of his ideas, as the judges did during FFA public speaking competitions that ultimately led to a state win. He won a local competition last December, then won the Arkansas Eastern District contest, and then the state event where he also won the right to represent Arkansas in national competition. This month, he will deliver his speech virtually and if he advances, will compete in person in October in Indianapolis. The young man, who hopes to be an equine surgeon one day, is modest about these accomplishments, but is passionate about his topic of inclusivity. “I wouldn’t call myself a public speaker, I just talk about how FFA is inclusive to different types of people,” he said. “One of the hog showmen from a school in Arkansas has 26 | 501 LIFE September 2021
Photo by Mike Kemp