WaHi Student Off to National Speech Competition
Hope-Grant-Herriot
A Walla Walla High School student is on her way to Indianapolis in June for a national speech competition.
Hope Grant-Herriot, 17, is using her lifelong struggle with obesity as the theme to her speech that has already won her several awards and a spot in the National Forensic League National Speech and Debate Tournament.
"Bullying has always been a part of my life and I feel like it always we'll be," Grant-Herriot said. "I just think that, that is something that has definitely been thrown into drive me to give this speech every time."
Grant-Herriot says in her speech that people do not understand obesity is a disease and that obese people are overtly treated differently than others.
Grant-Herriot's speech has inspired family members, school faculty and other students.
Konor Clark, speech and debate teammate, said everybody talks about how Grant-Herriot acts as motivation to the team.
"She's an inspiration," Clark said. "I'm a little overweight and her speech is just fantastic and it tells a lot about people with obesity and how it's such a big deal and it really helps out."
The competition takes place between June 10-15 in Indianapolis.
Grant-Herriot is enrolled in running start at Walla Walla Community College, and hopes to go to Western Kentucky University when she graduates.