🍀🏆 Luck Had Nothing to Do With It — But We'll Take the Win

What a proud moment for Golden Gate Toastmasters!

At the Area C4 Speech Contests, our members delivered outstanding performances across categories:

🥇 Sheila Vida — 1st Place, International Speech Contest
💬 “How Are You”

🥈 Blair Vorsatz — 2nd Place, Tall Tales Contest
💬 “The Cat Who Climbed Everest”

From heartfelt storytelling to wildly imaginative Tall Tales, GGTM was proudly represented on the contest stage.

👏 Congratulations to both — we are incredibly proud of you!

🍀 Looks like GGTM didn’t just talk about luck… we created it.

🔗 Want to revisit their journey? Check out our club contest highlights here.

Interim President Albert Yan set a warm, intimate tone for the evening with an icebreaker question “What’s the most fortunate thing that has happened to you lately?” With a smaller group, everyone had the chance to reflect on recent moments of fortune (or misfortune).

Guest Sarah shared an exciting win — the opportunity to start her own podcast, turning possibility into action.

💬 Moments of luck from members:

• Derick ran a mile 🏃

• Caitlin welcomed a new niece 👶

• Sheila gained unexpected prep time for Table Topics thanks to a canceled meeting

Albert also reminded us of the small but powerful details that shape our meetings — a firm handshake 🤝 and enthusiastic applause 👏.

Valeriy opened the meeting with a light joke, suggesting the smaller crowd might be due to recovering from St. Patrick’s Day festivities 🍀🍻 and a personal story about his ear infection — reflecting on how luck sometimes depends on the choices we make.

Luck isn’t found — it’s created.

What does “get lucky” mean to you?
Winning the lottery? Finding $20 on the street?
Helen challenged these ideas, reframing luck as something far more intentional. For her, luck is built through showing up, staying open, and taking small steps — even when nothing is guaranteed.

💬 “The luckiest people aren’t the ones who wait. They’re the ones who act.”

What keeps someone coming back — even when the work is tough?

Michelle shared her experience teaching in high-needs classrooms, where challenges were constant and progress wasn’t always visible. Yet she kept returning — not because it was easy, but because it mattered.

Through those moments, she discovered the kind of teacher she wanted to be: someone who connects, adapts, and shows up for students in whatever way they need.

✨ Those lessons didn’t stay in the classroom — they continue to shape her leadership style today, both in Toastmasters and beyond.

What makes a speech worth giving?

Albert reflected on his Toastmasters journey — nearly eight years, yet only a handful of speeches delivered. What held him back wasn’t ability, but a familiar question: Do I have anything worth saying?

That question followed him all the way to a recent visit to Taiwan, where he was invited to speak at his former high school. Faced with the same doubt, he returned to a simple truth — every meaningful speech begins with a story.

By reconnecting with his own journey, Albert reminded us that impact doesn’t come from having the “perfect” message, but from having the courage to share something real.

💬 “What is your story?”

In her contest speech, Sheila shared her journey of finding her voice and stepping into authentic connection.

💬 “Answer the question. Step through the door. Hold it open for someone else.”

Table Topics Master Sheila Vida brought a fun twist by using a random number generator 🎲, keeping speakers on their toes and answers spontaneous.

Here’s how our speakers explored luck from every angle:

🏆️ Agasthian
“What is your favorite quote about luck?”
💬 “The universe is conspiring for you.”
He reflected on trusting the process — even when it doesn’t feel like it in the moment ♟️

🎙️ Sarah (Guest)
“Has luck played a vital role in your success?”
💬 “Get clarity on what you want — and opportunities will follow.”
Her podcast opportunity started with clarity and intention 🎧

🏺 Moaad (Guest)
“If you could put luck into a jar, what would it look like?”
💡 Health — the foundation that makes everything else possible 💪

🌱 Sophie
“Do you have a luck ritual or charm?”
She doesn’t rely on luck — she creates the conditions for it to happen

📈 Prateek
“Can too much luck be a bad thing?”
Luck without struggle can shape the wrong mindset — growth comes from embracing challenges

💫 Caitlin
“Right place, right time — coincidence or luck?”
Maybe not luck — just timing in a random, unpredictable world of dating!

🌈 Kat
“What’s at the end of a rainbow?”
From Hawaii, she painted a vivid picture: waterfalls, oceans, and the spirit of Aloha 🌊

🎨 Ella
“What’s an opportunity you didn’t leave to chance?”
💬 “Going the extra mile is what makes the difference.”
Her proactive approach led to her artwork being featured on a billboard in Oakland

🧭 General Evaluator — Albert Yan

Albert’s evaluation focused on how to make meetings more impactful — especially in smaller settings.
💡 Key insight:
Keeping opening remarks concise frees up valuable time for Table Topics, giving both members and guests more opportunities to take the floor and shine.

🎯 On evaluations:
Albert offered a useful reminder for newer evaluators: resist the urge to retell the speech. Instead, aim to briefly acknowledge the highlights, then spend the bulk of your time on specific observations and actionable suggestions.

📌 Additional observations:

• Taking multiple roles shows dedication — but balance matters

• Signing up early strengthens the meeting

• New members are always supported — just step in

Caitlin Brown — Michelle

Caitlin praised Michelle’s engaging opening and authentic storytelling, noting how her message drew the audience in from the start.
She also highlighted Michelle’s strong eye contact and body language, which added confidence and connection to the delivery.

💡 To elevate further:
Slowing the pace in key moments would add clarity, and practicing enunciation on more challenging words would smooth out the delivery even more.

🏆 Derick Le — Albert

Derick set an enthusiastic tone from the start, declaring it his "lucky day" to evaluate a speaker of Albert's caliber. And the praise was well-earned.

What stood out most was Albert’s strong presence, noting how his pacing, storytelling, and body language worked in harmony, with purposeful hand gestures and a vocal delivery that made every word feel intentional.

💡To elevate even further, Derick suggested leaning into intentional pauses to let key messages breathe, and experimenting with more vocal variety to bring important moments into sharper relief.

💬 “Albert defines what it means to be a great speaker.”

Ryan Davis — Sheila

Ryan commended Sheila for delivering a great speech and an inspiring story.

🎂 Helen sweetened the evening with a “Princess Cake” to celebrate her St. Patrick’s Day birthday!

🗣️ “Auspicious” made its way across the room — used by 7 members: Helen,
Agasthian, Prateek, Kat, Ella, Derick, and Ryan 👏

⏱️ Everyone stayed within time — a Toastmasters miracle 😀 

📝 Kat took on Ah-Counter for the first time and nailed it

Next Meeting — 20 Seconds of Courage ⏳️ 
Sometimes, all it takes is 20 seconds of courage to change everything. Don’t let hesitation hold you back — your next opportunity might be one bold step away.
📅 Wednesday, March 25, 2026 | 6:00–8:00 PM
📍 San Francisco Chamber of Commerce 235 Montgomery St, 7th Floor, San Francisco

🎉 GGTM’s 90-Year Anniversary Celebration
A huge milestone is coming — stay tuned for early April!

🥳 GGTM Advances to Division C!
From club to area — and now to the next stage.
Sheila is heading to the Division C Contests!
Let’s pack the room and show our support:
📅 Sunday, April 19, 2026 | 1:00–4:00 PM
📍 One Embarcadero Center, 1 Clay St (Level 2), San Francisco