Speaking up: Toastmasters helps Miriam students build confidence

Katie Stalter

October 9, 2025

Last Tuesday, Lizzy did something many teens and adults alike find nerve-wracking: she gave a speech.

The Miriam High School freshman talked to her classmates about her favorite vacation - a trip to California to visit family. It was an informal speech, but it was an important one.

Miriam student lizzy working with Toastmasters at a table

Public speaking - and even simply conversing with others - is a common phobia that can make even the most self-assured person nervous. Add in neurodiversity and low confidence levels, and it can be downright paralyzing.

Miriam High School and Toastmasters are helping students conquer that fear early, to set them up for a lifetime of confidence. As part of the high school’s Transition Program, a youth leader from Toastmasters visits Miriam every Tuesday to help freshmen find their voice.
Sarah Van Meter, who leads the sessions, says Toastmasters has been pivotal in her own professional growth. Now, she’s giving back by helping St. Louis-area youth build communication skills.
Toastmasters International is a nonprofit organization that helps individuals become more effective communicators and leaders through local clubs that offer in-person and online meetings for all levels.
Karen Cross, transition coordinator at Miriam, says she knew the program would be a perfect foundation for freshmen.

Miriam student giving a speech with Toastmasters

“I know they won’t necessarily be giving speeches as adults, but I believe this will help them in every aspect of life,” Cross says. “I want them to feel relaxed and comfortable having everyday conversations. This will also help with their writing, as they improve their verbal expression.”

Van Meter started slowly, getting a sense of each student’s comfort level and setting personal goals to reach by December.

Each week, students participate in various ways. Some will give a speech on a topic of their choice, for instance, while others suggest conversation topics. Last Tuesday, they all spent some time brainstorming a topic of interest for a future speech.

Lizzy says she felt self-conscious giving her speech about traveling to California, but she was glad she did it. “I was nervous, and I fidget when I’m nervous,” she said. “But it went better than I thought it would, and most of the feedback from my classmates was good.”

Toastmasters demonstrating how to speak to a Miriam student

Toastmasters is just one piece of Miriam High School’s Transition Program.

The program builds throughout each year of high school, as students work with Pre-employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS) for career readiness skills, Junior Achievement for workplace etiquette and other career success skills, and an internship program that will lead to a senior capstone project and presentation.

Cross is also meeting with junior and senior students and parents to start specific planning for post-graduation. She asked each student to write down three career interests, and then she worked to identify neurodivergent-friendly schools or other programs that offer those areas of focus.

Miriam will host its fourth annual Next Steps Fair on January 27, where students and families will have the opportunity to talk with representatives from colleges and employment programs. The fair will be open to Miriam students from 2:30-3:30 p.m., and open to the public from 4-6 p.m.

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