By Adway S. Wadekar, Contributing Writer
Photo/Submitted
Westborough – Neil Kale, a sophomore student at Westborough High School (WHS) recently won the 2018 Youth Speech Contest sponsored by the Westborough Lions Club in an event held at Tatnuck Bookseller on Lyman Street.
The guiding topic for all speeches was “Integrity: What Does it Look Like?” In his speech, Neil highlighted the importance of being a person with integrity. He cited examples of integrity from many different places, including the Good Samaritan biblical tale. He described a modern-day rendering of the Good Samaritan tale by highlighting how Americans, especially individuals, came together and demonstrated great integrity after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.
In his speech, Neil placed special importance on the impact of individuals exhibiting integrity. He described how traits essential to be a person with integrity, such as bravery, perseverance, and courage, although associated with physical strength, also show mental strength. Neil spoke about one of the most iconic moments of integrity in American history – the Civil Rights Movement, as an example of exhibiting mental strength. He recounted the many ways that civil rights activists fought for their rights with integrity; from marching to staying seated on a bus. He said that all activists showed immense integrity by having the courage and bravery to abide by their moral values, and to have the perseverance to do so for years.
Neil also shared his gratitude for the local efforts in the town of Westborough to keep it beautiful. He expressed reverence for organizations such as the Lions Club and the Westborough Garden Club. He further spoke about how we can enhance integrity in our day-to-day lives. Individuality, honesty, and self-reflection are all ways that we can improve our integrity.
Neil loves to write, read, think and sing. No matter where he is, he says he always tries to learn something new. He posts regularly on his blog: Sweat and Soliloquy at neilkale.wordpress.com.
