Knoxville student Brandon Barkey recently competed in the State Speech competition. Brandon spoke with KNIA/KRLS News about his experience at the competition.

“It was kind of crazy going in there were a lot more people than I thought. When I first made it to All-State I didn’t know what it was going to be like. I’ve had pieces qualify for state but due to Covid, I’ve never been to All-State.  So when I heard the statistic that 500 out of 9,000 ended up qualifying I thought wow this is a little niche group, but that niche group became bigger once you saw the entire crowd.”

Barkey talks about the two pieces he performed at the competition.

“One of the pieces was an original oratory which is like a normal speech, it dealt with mental health and suicide. The poem was about the difference between each one. The poem structure starts with this middle-aged adult male who is loving his life because he’s an adult and can do whatever he wants and then he realizes these responsibilities are taking a toll on him. Then It cuts to him as a kid and all he wants to do is grow up, and then it cuts to him on his deathbed saying he’s happy with how it went and he wouldn’t change anything.”

For more with Brandon Barkey tune in to Thursday’s Let’s Talk Knoxville.