Learn how Kimberly Reese,a person who stutters, achieved career success. Get inspired by their journey. Candle Production Kimberly Reese Briefly describe your daily job duties. I create and sell a variety of candles across the United States. As a person who stutters, share the most challenging part of your job. The most challenging part of my job is when people see me as just my stutter, and not as a human being. What are your long-term career aspirations? My goal is to branch out and sell my candles internationally, with the immediate goal of selling in Africa in 2024. Did you self-disclose your stuttering during the job hiring process? If so, how did you do it and how do you currently disclose your stuttering to unsuspecting co-workers, clients and or customers? No, I do not disclose my stuttering. Stuttering is a part of me, but I don’t let it define me. What is your proudest moment at your current company? My proudest moment is more general – just that I started with nothing and turned it into something! I’ve loved candles all of my life, and so I worked hard to learn how to produce them, how to market myself, and how to sell, which I now do all over the country. Describe how stuttering makes you a better, more valued contributor at work. I am independent and making my own way in this world, never letting anyone disrespect me. What’s your best advice for people who stutter just entering the workplace and for those in a career striving to achieve greater success? Command respect and show everyone that you are a hard worker.

Learn how Jonathan Pomerantz,a person who stutters, achieved career success. Get inspired by their journey. Facilities Engineer Jonathan Pomerantz Briefly describe your daily job duties. As a Facilities Engineer, I’m responsible for maintaining and ensuring the safe operation of our oil & gas processing facilities in Northern Colorado. I interface with Production Operations, Environmental, Health, and Safety teams, and other engineering teams to troubleshoot facility upsets and design retrofits to improve reliability. As a person who stutters, share the most challenging part of your job. I am constantly required to communicate detailed technical information to many people every day. It can be frustrating when it takes me longer than other people to communicate that information. I am also often required to present design solutions and proposals to larger groups in meetings. Switching to remote work over the past 18 months has also presented a whole new subset of challenges with communicating more often via calls and video conference rather than in person. What are your long-term career aspirations? Long term, I hope to continue to develop my technical knowledge in my field and eventually move into a management/mentorship role to lead an engineering team. Did you self-disclose your stuttering during the job hiring process? I did. I actually disclosed initially to the recruiters as I was applying for interviews in college, and continued that during the interview process. I usually phrased it as: “You’ll probably notice that I stutter, and this might take me a bit, so I appreciate your time and patience in advance.” Currently, I don’t explicitly disclose very often as I’ve been working with a lot of the same people for a long time who know I stutter. But if a situation arises where I am being misunderstood or interrupted, I’ll disclose in a similar way. What is your proudest moment at your current company? I don’t have a specific proud moment, but it makes me feel good when I’m selected for new projects and asked for my input despite my speech difficulties. I am proud of how far I’ve come within the company. Describe how stuttering makes you a better, more valued contributor at work. I’ve found that it has made me a more empathetic person and I can better withhold bias when listening to what a person has to say, regardless of how they say it. It has also pushed me to find ways to compensate where necessary and improve my work performance proportionally in other aspects. What’s your best advice for people who stutter just entering the workplace and for those in a career striving to achieve greater success? I would say to go into it with a positive attitude and know that your stutter doesn’t have to define you and it likely won’t. I have had an overwhelmingly positive experience as a person who stutters in a professional environment. Listen and learn from everyone around you, and when you have something to say, speak up no matter how it comes out or how long it takes you.

Learn how Justin James,a person who stutters, achieved career success. Get inspired by their journey. Chiropractor Justin James Briefly describe your daily job duties. I am a Doctor of Chiropractic, I specialize in rehabilitation. I spend my days speaking to patients to better understand their history so that I can effectively treat them. I also need to explain to them, in an easy to understand way, what their problem is and how I can assist them. As a person who stutters, share the most challenging part of your job. The most challenging part of my job is speaking with patients. It’s something I do all day, every day. This can be incredibly nerve-wracking some days, but I’m able to work past it and work through it. Did you self-disclose your stuttering during the job hiring process? If so, how did you do it and how do you currently disclose your stuttering to unsuspecting clients? I am blessed to own my practice. As a result, I didn’t have a job interview. I have chosen not to disclose my stutter to patients. I do not feel like it’s my place, in my position, to take the focus off of them. Their issues and health concerns are my primary focus. Describe how stuttering makes you a better, more valued contributor at work. Stuttering has taught me so much. It has taught me empathy and understanding. It has shown me that struggling is part of life. But, with the proper mindset and tools, these obstacles can be overcome. What is your proudest moment at your current company? My proudest moment is actually going to work every day as a physician. Every day is a proud moment for me. When I think back to my childhood, I was always terrified to speak to anyone I didn’t know. Terrified they would see me stammer. I never thought in a million years I’d ever accomplish what I have accomplished. What are your long-term career aspirations? I want to be known for my rehabilitation skills. I want to be able to teach at local colleges and teach at seminars around the country. I’ve already done some speaking to students teaching them about differing rehabilitation strategies. What’s your best advice for people who stutter just entering the workplace and for those in a career striving to achieve greater success? Do not be afraid. You can and will accomplish great things. Some days are going to be harder than others. You’re going to get frustrated and that’s ok. You will get through it. You will succeed.

Learn how Jeff Fett,a person who stutters, achieved career success. Get inspired by their journey. Marketing Director Jeff Fett Briefly describe your daily job duties. As the Marketing Director, I oversee a department of seven marketing professionals. It’s my job to oversee the execution of all of the company’s marketing efforts including: Print Collateral, Social Media Posts, Digital and Print Ad Campaigns, Internal Communications, as well as Brand Development/Management to name a few. My first big project in my new position is to develop a new corporate website. That should launch after the first of the year. As a person who stutters, share the most challenging part of your job. The most challenging part of my job has been proving that I am capable. In college, I was told by a Graphic Design professor, “Please change your major. No one will ever take you seriously or hire you.” At my one-year evaluation of my first professional job I was told, “You may have noticed that we haven’t let you go out and meet the clients. That’s because we consider you to be disabled and we feel you will embarrass the clients.” After working as the Creative Director for 10 years at my previous job, I was promoted to Marketing Department Manager. Six weeks after the promotion, I was told there was going to be a “restructuring.” They wanted me to go back to being the Creative Director again and someone new was going to brought in at a higher level to oversee Marketing and other company efforts. The reason they gave me was: “We feel you don’t have the voice for the job.” So, they took away the promotion based solely on the fact that I stuttered. In April of 2013, I was hired in as the Marketing Manager at America’s Preferred Home Warranty (APHW). I was brought in to start up and build APHW’s Marketing Department. When they APHW hired a CEO a few months later, I was told he would eventually look to bring in a Chief Marketing Office (CMO) to oversee all of Marketing. His background was Fortune 500 companies, mine was small businesses. This past year he finally acted on looking for his CMO. The candidates he interviewed didn’t pan out. I was told that I wasn’t qualified for the position, so I didn’t seek it out. Following those interviews, they realized it would take two years for a CMO to become effective and in the meantime, they would also bog our processes down with a lot of questions. That opened the door for my recent promotion to Marketing Director. When the promotion offer was made, which was a total surprise, I was told they wouldn’t take “no” for an answer. I have also been told that after I go through a period of training, I will eventually become the Chief Marketing Officer. I have now achieved what many had told me could never be accomplished because I am a person who stutters. Did you self-disclose your stuttering during the job hiring process? Yes, I did disclose my stuttering during the job interview. My stutter during the interview actually became an asset. At what I would consider to be the halfway point of most interviews, the company president stopped the interview. He said, “I’ve heard enough. I can see from the way you handle your stuttering, that you are a fighter. I sense that if you don’t know the answer to a problem, you will go to great lengths to find the solution and solve it. I’m not going to interview another person for this job, you are my person. And I promise you the stuttering will never be a problem.” To date, the promise has been kept. Describe how stuttering makes you a better, more valued contributor at work. During my interviews, I have always described my stuttering as an asset. I mention that people who stutter are natural listeners. When you are interviewing a client during the development process for a marketing project, if you are doing all of the talking, you are not listening to what the client is saying. I also mention that when I block, I’m usually really fighting to say something that I feel is important. That has taught me to listen to the inflections in a client’s voice. From my stuttering behaviors, I have learned to listen for the words/phrases a client emphasizes when speaking and the words/phrases or thoughts a client repeats. These are the cues that I focus on when developing a project. I have found that they provide me the key to developing the “true flavor” that my client is seeking. What is your proudest moment at your current company? My proudest moment came two years ago. APHW, when I was hired, was housed in a small 4,400-sq. ft. building and doing business in only five states. Two years ago, we moved into a 27,000-sq. ft. building. The morning of the Grand Opening for our new corporate office, I was standing alone with the APHW President in the middle of the office. We were looking around and realizing just what we had accomplished in four short years. The new office interior is a direct reflection of the branding look and feel that I had developed for APHW. At that moment, it really hit me, I had totally rebranded a company and been successful with it. That is a graphic designer’s dream. It proved that all of those who said I couldn’t do it, were wrong. Currently we are doing business in 49 states, soon to be all 50. What are your long-term career aspirations? My long-term aspirations are to be the best CMO I can be and retire from APHW in about 10 years. What’s your best advice for people who stutter striving to achieve greater career success? My first piece of advice is to surround yourself with a good circle of close friends. My job at APHW came from a reference from the printer I worked with at my previous job. They just happened to be the main printer for APHW as well. They knew of my frustration at my previous job, with the promotion being removed. So, when the APHW President was in their shop talking about his need to have someone come in and build a Marketing Department for him, they hooked me up for interview. My second piece of advice is to always give your employer “results they can’t argue with.” That was how I overcame my CEO’s objection to my background only being in small businesses. Having the CMO candidates not pan out, made him take a closer look at the results I had achieved. That was why when the offer was made, I was told, “We won’t take ‘no’ for an answer.” Your stuttering will always create doubts and roadblocks in employer’s minds, but if you continuously achieve excellent results, that will be your key to unlocking the doors for future opportunities.

Learn how Kazi Sarjana Safain,a person who stutters, achieved career success. Get inspired by their journey. Doctoral Graduate Research Assistant Kazi Sarjana Safain Fargo, ND Doctoral Graduate Research Assistant North Dakota State University Briefly describe your daily job duties. I am an international student from Bangladesh studying for my PhD at North Dakota State University. I am currently working on maternal nutrition and epigenetic regulation of developmental programming in beef cattle. My main responsibilities include carrying out experiments, evaluating data, attending seminars, presenting, sharing my research with the scientific community, and publishing scholarly papers. As a person who stutters, share the most challenging part of your job. I have been stuttering since my early childhood. It has always been challenging for me to clearly explain my ideas since I stutter. I’ve noticed that introducing myself is the most challenging task that I have to deal with in my daily life. Additionally, I stutter most when I am stressed or anxious. I’m still working on making myself relaxed in these circumstances. What are your long-term career aspirations? Making the apparently insurmountable happen is something I enjoy doing. So, after successfully completing my Ph.D., I wish to pursue a job in academia where I can teach and serve as the principal investigator of my own lab. Additionally, I’ve always wanted to work with folks who have any form of disability. Did you self-disclose your stuttering during the job hiring process? Honestly, I have never self-disclosed my stuttering in any job hiring process. Now when I look back into the past, I feel that disclosing my stuttering would have made my life way easier. Now after enrolling in my Ph.D. program, I have started to slowly self-disclosing about my stuttering at the beginning of a meeting or in a presentation. I’ve noticed that everyone seems to be extremely understanding and supportive when I reveal it. Additionally, it relaxes and calms me down. What is your proudest moment at your current company? I consider myself to be a diligent, sincere, and goal-driven researcher. Describe how stuttering makes you a better, more valued contributor at work. I have been subjected to a great deal of stigma, rejection, and humiliation since I was a little child, making me feel worthless for stuttering. For the last one year, I am changing my mindset with the help of my therapist. Now, I can truly relate my life with stuttering and how stuttering has shaped my life and helped me to be a great researcher and most importantly a better person. Stuttering has made me compassionate, patient, diligent, and a person with positive vibes. In order to excel in research work and graduate studies, patience and hard work are imperative which I think I would not get this much if I were not a stutterer. Also, stuttering made me a great writer and a great listener. Till now, I have written a number of scientific papers and published them. All these aspects make me proud of myself. I used to believe that stuttering is my greatest weakness, but now I feel it’s my strength. What’s your best advice for people who stutter just entering the workplace and for those in a career striving to achieve greater success? Stuttering does not, first and foremost, define who you are. A broken speech might be pleasant if it is full of positivity, but I’ve met people with fluent speaking whose speech is full of negativity, arrogance, conceit, and other negative traits. I would advise everyone to believe in themselves and concentrate on their careers since stuttering is not and will never be a hindrance. Anything in the world is possible with effort, tenacity, and passion. Instead, stuttering would make you stronger because there are no obstacles when the aim is adequately clear. Each of us goes through obstacles and stutters in life that we feel keep us from achieving greater success. Overall, remembering that beauty and power come from conquering challenges and sharing your struggles with others is the main goal.

Learn how Corinne King,a person who stutters, achieved career success. Get inspired by their journey. Director of Events & Business Development Corinne King Indianapolis, IN Director of Events & Business Development Circle City Athletics Briefly describe your daily job duties. I am responsible for managing our events, sponsorships, and strategic partnerships. Circle City Athletics is the premier provider of social leagues and events for adults in Indianapolis. As a person who stutters, share the most challenging part of your job. I am a closeted stutterer. The majority of people who know me do not know that I stutter frequently. It can be frustrating as I am constantly navigating around words, avoiding specific words and concerned people (including me) will not have the patience for when I communicate. I overthink almost every interaction – like saying bye to a colleague or providing them the number of participants. What are your long-term career aspirations? My long-term career aspirations are to make a noticeable impact in the company and be a great resource to the community. Did you self-disclose your stuttering during the job hiring process? I have only disclosed my stuttering to a handful of people and these people are not my coworkers. Recently, I have considered disclosing my stutter as it has consumed a lot of brain capacity while I am speaking or planning to speak. I believe disclosing my stutter to everyone would be a weight off my shoulders. What is your proudest moment at your current company? My proudest moment is knowing that everyday I can make a difference in our community – while we are a small team, we are mighty and serve over 25,000 people in Indianapolis. Describe how stuttering makes you a better, more valued contributor at work. As someone who stutters, I am more aware and considerate of my surroundings and people who may have unique abilities. Stuttering has taught me how to be strategic and a great problem solver. What’s your best advice for people who stutter just entering the workplace and for those in a career striving to achieve greater success? My best advice to be patient with yourself and consider disclosing your stutter with colleagues (especially if you are a closeted stutterer). Recently, I was upset about how I spend a lot of energy communicating and wishing I was more introverted. To lift my spirits, I decided to research famous people who stutter and I learned Ed Sheeran stutters. It is encouraging to learn how people who stutter can accomplish so much – we might just need to be a bit more strategic in how we approach our goals!

Learn how Zac Rankin,a person who stutters, achieved career success. Get inspired by their journey. Tax Managing Director Zac Rankin Briefly describe your daily job duties. As a Tax Managing Director, I’m in charge of dozens of clients and professional staff. I manage all my client’s projects, ensure client work gets done, call clients to update project status, and field calls from clients about consulting work. In addition to my client work, I also manage our professional staff. This includes checking-in with them on projects, career development discussions, helping employees with technical work or other issues, and occasionally helping with personal issues. As a person who stutters, share the most challenging part of your job. The most challenging part of my job is the constant social interaction. A day does not go by when I’m not spending a large part of my day speaking with people. Most of the time the people I speak with already know I stutter. But, I get calls from clients or from new staff who don’t know. I try to disclose, but this doesn’t always happen. It’s very draining day after day to be so conversational even when I don’t want to be – especially when I’m having disfluent days. Did you self-disclose your stuttering during the job hiring process? If so, how did you do it and how do you currently disclose your stuttering to unsuspecting co-workers, clients and or customers? I did not self-disclose during my job interviews. Unfortunately, I was ashamed of my stuttering and it showed. I was turned away from every job interview with public accounting firms. It wasn’t until my last interview, with BDO USA, which I still work for 12 years later, that I owned my speech. I persevered and wasn’t going my stutter hold me back from getting the job I wanted. Today, I make a point of bringing up my stutter during first encounters with people. During interviews for new staff, I open with the same thing, “Hi my name is Zac. First off, I want to let you know that I am a person who stutters. If I say anything you may not clearing hear then please ask me to repeat myself.” Describe how stuttering makes you a better, more valued contributor at work. I spend a lot of my time listening. It helps make our professional staff at BDO USA feel valued and listened to, and I’m better equipped to help them by listening more. This helps with clients as well because I can hear what their concerns are and be able to better assist them. What is your proudest moment at your current company? I have two proud moments. First, was giving a two-hour presentation to a client’s Board of Directors. This was the first presentation I gave to such a high-level audience. I practiced for hours the night before and started to psych myself out; but, I did a great job with minimal disruptions. Second, was being nominated to be a Tax Partner in the Anchorage BDO USA office. What are your long-term career aspirations? My ultimate goal is to thrive in the professional world as a person who stutters. When I was interviewing for jobs in public accounting, I was greeted with the typical reaction from firms because of my stutter. I was even told to not pursue public accounting because it requires too much talking. I strive to be an example for people who stutter that there are no limits in any professional and in life. What’s your best advice for people who stutter just entering the workplace and for those in a career striving to achieve greater success? You have tremendous value. Do not let your stutter limit the greatness you can achieve. Your voice is worth being heard, especially today when “social norms” are being challenged. Own your truth. Speak your truth.

Learn how Cameron Francek,a person who stutters, achieved career success. Get inspired by their journey. Technical Delivery Lead Cameron Francek e your daily job duties. I am a Technical Delivery Lead responsible for leading a team of Software Engineers and Business Analysts at Meridian Health Plan. We support an internal software application where our core business and healthcare process are maintained. I oversee all aspects of the software development lifecycle, from requirements gathering, development, promotion and stakeholder relations. We must react quickly to changes in state and federal requirements, ensuring the needs of clients are met, our processes remain compliant and that both our members and providers have an elite experience with Meridian. As a person who stutters, share the most challenging part of your job. As a leader, effective communication and decision making are critical to the success of our team. In stressful situations where the prevalence of my stuttering may be heightened, I often have to remind myself that my fluency is secondary to the outcome that we are working towards. In those instances, my experience with stuttering allows me to approach the situation with empathy and courage. Ultimately, it’s about delivering the message and outcome required to get the job done whether I stutter or not. Did you self-disclose your stuttering during the job hiring process? If so, how did you do it and how do you currently disclose your stuttering to unsuspecting co-workers? I am a firm believer in disclosing the fact that I am a person who stutters. In doing so, I am able to better focus on the context of the given situation and better keep the attention of my audience. Getting that disclosure out of the way also displays a level of confident vulnerability which I view as a sign of strength. In my experience, disclosing I stutter empowers others to be themselves and that helps them perform at a higher, more comfortable level. The last thing I want is for people to be wondering what is happening when I stutter, which could prevent people from focusing on the context of our interaction or the task at hand. Describe how stuttering makes you a better, more valued contributor at work. One of the most rewarding parts of my job is being part of a team and working toward a common goal. I hope my stuttering brings a “human” aspect to the team that can sometimes be lost in a results-driven environment. Empowering our people to be themselves, to practice empathy, to be courageous and to work together regardless of differences or insecurities is what I work to offer to Meridian. What is your proudest moment at your current company? Regularly doing things I once thought were impossible, makes me proud. Leading a team of super smart and talented people, giving a status report to our Executive team and even facilitating a conference call are moments I’m grateful for every day. What are your long-term career aspirations? I hope to grow in my leadership role, become a technical expert and one day be the CIO of a Fortune 500 company. What’s your best advice for people who stutter just entering the workplace and for those in a career striving to achieve greater success? Be yourself and know that you can communicate effectively regardless of stuttering. In fact, I’d argue you communicate effectively because you stutter. Be confident in your abilities, prepare intensely and focus on acting with empathy and courage. Shine bright every day.

Learn how John Raab,a person who stutters, achieved career success. Get inspired by their journey. Sr. Manager Flight Software & Spacecraft Simulation John Raab Parker, CO Sr. Manager Flight Software & Spacecraft Simulation Lockheed Martin Briefly describe your daily job duties. Develop, test and maintain software for spacecraft operations. As a person who stutters, share the most challenging part of your job. Verbal communications are challenging in new situations with people that you don’t know. There is a tendency to stay in your comfort zone because of this. I always tried to maintain a “if I were a winner” mentality when making decisions. What are your long-term career aspirations? I am recently retired but during those 36 years, I was committed to advancing my career regardless of stuttering challenges. Did you self-disclose your stuttering during the job hiring process? I’m not real proud of this. I didn’t say anything about my stuttering during the job interview. I guess I was afraid it might hurt my chances of getting the job. When I got home, I reconsidered. I sent my future manager a letter thanking him for the interview and I disclosed the fact that I stuttered. What is your proudest moment at your current company? I was in charge of the flight rules while the spacecraft was in the Space Shuttle cargo bay before deployment. My supervisor told me that I would have a console position in Mission Control at the Johnson Space Center. I knew I would need to to talk on the “net”. I was terrified but I said, “Okay”. My supervisor’s manager said that because it was manned spaceflight that I was not going. It was clearly because of my speech. I was more relieved than upset. At that point, the Program Manager stepped in and overruled everyone. “John is going” he said. I did go. There were some anomalies during the mission and I was in the middle of it all. I stuttered some but overall had good success. Later, our team got to meet with our astronaut crew. The whole thing was an amazing experience. Describe how stuttering makes you a better, more valued contributor at work. Everyone brings their whole person to work. People deal with challenges that are not always visible. I was able to look past things that were not perfect and focus on the important things like getting the job done. What’s your best advice for people who stutter just entering the workplace and for those in a career striving to achieve greater success? An employee that worked in my group gave a customer presentation and stuttered significantly. It didn’t go well. His lead asked me what we should do. I told him to talk with him about it and that he was probably more resilient than you think. We gave him the job of reporting status at our weekly staff meeting. The plan was to provide opportunities to help him gain more experience over time. That worked. I’m sorry he got thrown in the fire the first time. My advice is to talk with your supervisor about your speech and keep the lines of communication open.

Meet William Webster, a valued member of the National Stuttering Association team. Learn more about their role and contributions. William Webster Research Committee Standing Member Dr. William Webster is a retired university professor, a former Dean, and a person who stutters. During the first 22 years of his career, he was a professor and chair of psychology at Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada with an active research program focused on brain mechanisms underlying stuttering. The results of that research have been published in more than 20 journal articles and several book chapters and have been presented at a number of conferences. He co-authored with Marie Poulos in 1989 a clinical manual entitled, “Facilitating fluency: Transfer strategies for adult stuttering treatment programs” (Tucson, AZ: Communication Skill Builders). In 1991, he was appointed Dean of Social Sciences at Brock University in St. Catherines, Ontario, followed in 2002 as Director of the School of Communication Sciences and Disorders at the University of Western Ontario (now Western University) in London, Ontario. He is currently completing a book to be entitled, “Stuttering and the brain: Reflections on my journey.”

Meet Elliot Bellman, a valued member of the National Stuttering Association team. Learn more about their role and contributions. Elliot Bellman Teen Advisory Council (TAC) Elliot Bellman is 16 years old and lives in Fullerton, CA. He is currently a sophomore at Troy High School, and is part of the Troy Tech program, a 3 year STEM based magnet curriculum. He is also a member of his school's NJROTC unit, and competes on the Cybersecurity team, achieving 5th place in the NJROTC division in 2026. In his free time he enjoys history, tutoring other students, games, golf, football and participating in competitive Rubik’s Cube, achieving a personal best of 13.2 seconds. He is also a person with Autism that has impacted his stuttering. Having found the NSA in 2022 through his SLP, he has learned so much from the community, helping him to embrace his stutter, build confidence, and become an advocate for other people who stutter. For the past few years he has delivered public service announcements for International Stuttering Awareness Day educating over 2000 people on the dos and don’ts when talking with someone who stutters. Elliot is excited about the opportunity to join the TAC, and hopes to be able to give back to other teens and help them find the benefit, value, and confidence he has found in the NSA.

Learn how Landry Champlin,a person who stutters, achieved career success. Get inspired by their journey. Miss America Organization Landry Champlin Briefly describe your daily job duties. As Miss Plano, I am a speaker, performer, and advocate for my social impact initiative, “Live Fearless: Defining Life Without Limits.” I speak frequently on my journey competing and finding success in the Miss America Organization, a competition centralized around public speaking. I am also the founder of “The Live Fearless Foundation,” a charitable organization that brings character education and scholarship opportunities to students fearlessly seeking a higher education despite the adversity they may face in their own lives. Along with the “Live Fearless Foundation,” I have created an online blog and podcast named “The Fearless Files,” dedicated to encouraging EVERYONE to find comfort outside of their comfort zone! And in June of 2021, I will go onto compete for the title of Miss Texas! As a person who stutters, share the most challenging part of your job. As a public speaker and stutterer, maintaining confidence consistently is by far the most challenging aspect of my job! As cliché as it sounds, I question myself, my skillset, and my own capabilities often! Each time, I remind myself how important it is to recognize, that as individuals we are allowed to be a work in progress and a finished product at the same time! Celebrate how far you have come, while continuing to grow into the person you aspire to be! Did you self-disclose your stuttering during the job hiring process? I began competing in the Miss America Organization when I was 14 years old. At the time, I did NOT disclose my stutter when competing, but my nerves in the high stress environment got the best of me, and I stuttered throughout the competition! After 2 years of competing, hiding behind my speech difference, I became conscious of the fact that stuttering was and is the quality that makes me unique! Instead of concealing my “secret,” I sought to change the stereotype behind stuttering and created a social impact initiative in an effort to encourage everyone to embrace their OWN challenges and turn them into success stories! Describe how stuttering makes you a better, more valued contributor at work. I never take words for granted. Each speech, appearance, and conversation I participate in is intentional! As Miss Plano, I am aware of the power that words and articulate communication can have on a person and I work tirelessly to ensure EVERYONE feels seen for who they are. I strive to make every interaction with another human being impactful and purposeful. Stuttering has forced me to work harder, dream bigger, and become a stronger communicator! What is your proudest moment at your current company? In June of 2019, at the age of 17, I was named 2nd-Runner Up to the title of Miss Texas 2019. I was also awarded an overall preliminary talent award, Rookie Onstage Interview Award, and was named a “Top 10 Interview.” As the youngest in the competition, I was awarded over $7,000 in scholarship funds! What are your long-term career aspirations? I am currently pursuing my Bachelor of Music with an emphasis in Music Theatre at Oklahoma City University and aspire to one day perform on Broadway!! I also intend to be the first Miss America with a stutter! I hope to inspire millions of stutterers worldwide to share their voice, pursue their dreams, and find strength in taking risks! What’s your best advice for people who stutter just entering the workplace and for those in a career striving to achieve greater success? Nothing worth having comes from a comfort zone. As a person who stutters, use your experience overcoming adversity to your advantage. Try something new. Be bold. Take risks! Success is born out of consistent confidence in YOUR abilities. Regardless of the severity of your stutter, know this: your presence defines you before you open your mouth to speak! Stay confident in your ability to communicate effectively and take every opportunity to grow along the way!