🚂🌿 He Never Said the Words — But He Never Needed To

🌿 A Smaller Room. A Bigger Heart.

VP Education Albert Yan opened the evening wearing more hats than usual — Acting President, Sergeant at Arms, and all-around emergency anchor.

Tonight was a shortened meeting — first of the month, with club business to follow — but the theme more than made up for the missing hour. Arigato, the Japanese word for “thank you,” had guests reflecting on gratitude from the start: who is someone you’re thankful for this week?

Dennis (Guest) keeps it simple: his wife. She’s supportive, she’s present, and she’s the reason he’s here tonight. Lily (Guest, first visit, referred by member Scott Brown) went beautifully off-script: “The artist Lorde. I just saw her in concert — her energy, her artistry.” Isabella (Guest) chose her sister — nine hours and an ocean away in the Netherlands, still the closest person in her life. Other guests shared gratitude for tribes, teammates, and a co-worker named Whitney who’s single-handedly saving the spring band concert.

With the room warmed and the arigatos tallied, Albert handed the lectern to the Toastmaster of the Evening. 🌿

🎤 Toastmaster of the Evening: Michelle Wen

Fellow VP Education Michelle Wen took the stage with a theme close to her heart. She studies Japanese tea ceremony — and today was the last lesson at her teacher’s current residence before a move. Sentimental, bittersweet, and perfectly arigato.

Michelle shared something quieter, too: raised by her father in a single-parent family, Mother’s Day has always been complicated. “I’m still grateful for her — for bringing me into this world. It doesn’t change the fact that it’s a little awkward.” A reminder that gratitude isn’t always comfortable — but it’s always worth naming.

The Word of the Day, presented by Grammarian Kathleen Hurtubise (Kat for short, and first time in the role — very excited): verdant — green, lush, full of growing plants. A metaphor for a life filled with growth and possibility. 🌿

🎤 Prepared Speeches

🏄 “The Great Equalizer” — Ryan Davis

Presentation Mastery L1: Intro to Vocal Variety & Body Language

Ryan Davis opened with a grin and a surfing story. The wet suit didn’t fit. The board was enormous and squishy. His instructor radiated effortless cool while Ryan felt like David Copperfield trying to escape a straitjacket.

But Ryan paddled out anyway. For five glorious seconds he was the king of the ocean — and then the ocean reminded him who actually runs things. He tumbled, spun, and came up sputtering. No shame. No embarrassment. Just a strange, unexpected pride in having been tossed around by something bigger than himself.

His challenge to the room: “What is your ocean? What is the thing you fear — and want to learn for the first time?”

💬 “The real growth comes in a wipeout.”

🏆 🚂 “Narrow Escapes” — Agasthian Ponnambalam

Level 2 Speech

Agasthian Ponnambalam took us to southern India, fall of 2008. He was an undergrad in Coimbatore. His father had traveled 1,400 miles — the distance from San Francisco to Dallas, for perspective — on a 40-hour train from Noida just to spend a weekend with him. The route was scenic and verdant.

The visit was everything. Food, laughter, that particular warmth of someone who knows you completely. But Sunday morning came, and with it the departure. In Agasthian’s family, no one says “I love you.” He doesn’t remember the last time his father said those words — nor the last time he said them back. That morning, his appa could read every feeling he was carrying, and responded the way he knew best — by being a little calmer, a little more patient, a little more loving.

At the station, Agasthian walked alongside the departing train — a uniquely Indian love language, he explained. The longer you walk, the deeper the love. But when he turned away and reached into his pocket, his stomach dropped: his father’s ticket was still with him.

He sprinted. He begged passengers at every door. The train was pulling away. And then — a man standing at one of the final coaches. Their eyes met. The man had been watching the whole time. Agasthian held out the ticket. The man nodded with a smile. That was enough.

“Had I kept the ticket, the world wouldn’t have ended. But my whole life, love in my family has been expressed through action, through presence, through showing up.”

That sprint — frantic, undignified, possibly unnecessary — was the only way he knew to say arigato.

💬 “He never said those words. We never needed to.”

💬 Table Topics: A Thank-You to the Teachers Who Changed Us

It’s Teacher Appreciation Week. It’s Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Table Topics Master Alexandra Williams Francesca — a teacher herself — leaned into both.

🥋 Jay Yamamoto — “Tell us about a teacher who changed how you saw yourself.”
A high school karate sensei who taught discipline through leg raises, stomach punches, and mat throws. “I didn’t realize it at the time,” Jay said, “but what I was being taught was resilience.” The thick skin he earned in that dojo has carried him through every setback since. 🥋

🌱 Luzee Bautista — “Tell us about a mentor with unforgettable qualities.”
An accidental mentor — a workshop facilitator Luzee thanked after a session during her master’s. The woman offered one-on-one sessions on the spot. It took two years for Luzee to take her up on it, but that organic, unhurried mentorship pivoted her entire career into Learning & Development. She still sends wine every Christmas. 🎄

✂️ Frankie Dickerson — “What’s the difference between being educated and being truly inspired?”
“You don’t have to be educated about something to be inspired by it.” Frankie spoke from her world — hair, client connections, the psychology of a workspace that starts before anyone walks through the door. Inspiration leads to education, not the other way around. 📚

🏆 👩 Isabella (Guest) — “If you could thank one person publicly today, who would it be?”
Her sister. A year and a half apart, they weren’t friends growing up — too close, too similar. Isabella once told her to find her own path. It stung at first, but it transformed their relationship. Now, across nine time zones, her sister is the one who pulls her out of her head and into her heart. ❤️

🎯 Evaluations

📋 Alberto Jarrin — Ryan

Alberto Jarrin delivered a thorough, structured evaluation. He praised Ryan’s scene-setting — the sand, the suit, the squishy board — his infectious energy and hang-loose demeanor, and the motivational arc from David Copperfield to ocean philosopher. “You had great structure, great energy, and you were very relatable.”

Alberto’s one push: refine the small details — skip the nervous filler commentary at the podium, tame the unconscious hand gestures, and practice enough to ditch the notes.

💬 “What are we all equalizing over? You woke me up.”

🏆 ❤️‍🔥 Frankie Dickerson — Agasthian

Frankie Dickerson didn’t hold back. “I can listen to you talk all day. Truly.” She praised Agasthian’s raw authenticity, his descriptive storytelling — from the 1,400-mile distance to the 40-hour train ride — and the way his eyes welled up on stage. “You challenge people to feel raw emotion with your stories.”

Areas of improvement? “I wish I had some for you. I thought it was an A++.”

No push. No notes. Just awe.

💬 “Seeing your eyes get watery — you’re pulling on my heartstrings.”

🌱 Green Words, Growing Voices

📖 Grammarian — Kathleen Hurtubise
First-time Grammarian Kat introduced verdant and kept her ears wide open. Two speakers wove it into their words: Agasthian (describing the scenic, verdant train route through India) and Frankie. The word also bears a suspicious resemblance to a certain General Evaluator's name — almost the same, minus the r. 🌱

Kat’s standout language picks:

• 💬 Ryan: “Learning is like a dance on the ocean” · “Real growth comes in a wipeout” · “What is your ocean?”

• 💬 Agasthian: “Peeled myself off the bed” · “Soaking the last moments” · “Love language”

• 💬 Alberto: “Conquered another wave” · “What are we equalizing over?”

• 💬 Frankie: “So raw” — two words that captured everything

⏱️ Timer — Prateek Singhal
First time as Timer. Prateek held the lights steady and the rules firm.

🗣️ Ah Counter — Sophie Conlon
Sophie tracked every filler with precision. The aspiration for next time: zero across the board.

🧠 Pop Quiz Highlights

Quiz Master Ella Rochelle-Lawton closed the loop with a quick test of who was paying attention:

• 🎓 Who believes inspiration leads to education? → Frankie

• 🧠 Isabella thinks more with her ___ and her sister thinks more with her ___? → Head and heart

⭐ And the Votes Are In...

• 🏆 Best Prepared Speech: Agasthian Ponnambalam

• 🏆 Best Table Topics: Isabella

• 🏆 Best Evaluator: Frankie Dickerson

📋 Club Business

🗳️ Officer Elections — Nominations Open!

It’s that time of year. GGTM is gearing up for the next term’s leadership team, and we need your nominations — including self-nominations. Roles up for grabs: President, VP of Education, VP of Membership, VP of Public Relations, Secretary, Treasurer, and Sergeant at Arms.

Know someone who’d be great? Think you’d be great? Fill out the nomination form and let’s build the leadership together.

Fill out the nominations here: https://bit.ly/GGTM-Elections
(Please fill by May 27th)

📱 The GGTM App Is Here

VP Education Albert Yan unveiled his latest creation: a custom-built GGTM app that puts the whole club experience in your pocket. View the meeting agenda, track your speech progress, access handy links to meeting roles — all in one place.

It’s sleek, it’s functional, and Albert built it himself. Give it a spin and let us know what you think — there’s a short feedback survey linked below.

• 🌐 Go check out the website here:
  https://ggtm56.vercel.app

• 📝 Help us improve the app with your feedback:
  https://forms.gle/vwg8JCSaZmbL1YVBA

🎤 Special Announcement: Sheila at Women in Tech Global Conference!

Our very own Sheila Vida will be speaking at the Women in Tech Global Conference on May 14 — sharing insights from her beloved technical, customer-facing role. 🎉

• Session details are here:
  https://www.womentech.net/speaker/all/all/151369

This virtual-first conference runs from May 12-15 this week! For our tech girlies and friends out there, she has one FREE full conference pass to share - no strings attached! Email her at [email protected] if you’re interested.

• Conference details are here:
  https://www.womentech.net/women-tech-conference

🌟 New Member Spotlight

Prateek Singhal

Welcome to GGTM, Prateek! 🌿

Austin Harrison

Welcome to GGTM, Austin! 🌿

📣 What’s Next at GGTM

📅 Wednesday, May 13, 2026 | 6:00–8:00 PM
📍 San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, 235 Montgomery St, 7th Floor

Back to the full two-hour format next week. Sign up for roles and speeches at 56.toastmastersclubs.org — and keep the arigato spirit alive. 🌿

💛 Thank You

A heartfelt thank you to everyone who made this shortened meeting feel full.

To Michelle, for a theme that moved the room before a single speech was given. To Albert, for being thre- e officers in one and never breaking stride. To Alexandra, for a Table Topics session that honored teachers and mentors in the best week to do so. To Vedant, for stepping into the general evaluator chair for the first time.

To our speakers — Ryan and Agasthian — for a surfboard and a train ticket that took us further than either of you planned. To our evaluators — Alberto and Frankie — for honest, generous feedback that made the speeches land twice. To our functionaries — Prateek, Sophie, Kat, Luzee, and Ella — for keeping the gears turning on a night that ran lean.

And to every member and guest who showed up and shared a name, a memory, or an arigato — you didn’t just attend a meeting. You made it meaningful and memorable. 🌿

Questions? Feedback? Email us at [email protected] — we’d love to hear from you!