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Congratulations to our Latest YLP Grads!

Where will they go next and what will they achieve? No one knows for sure, but we do know the group of students you see above from Beth Rojas’ speech class at Rochester’s Alternative Learning Center have some extra skills that could make a big difference.

Over the space of eight, one-hour sessions this fall, Beth’s students have been made to feel a bit uncomfortable, they’ve taken risks and they’ve gained new self-confidence as they’ve learned new skills.

They’re now graduates of Toastmasters International’s Youth Leadership Program. With the assistance of Beth and the members of Rochester Chamber Toastmasters, the students have learned the basics of public speaking and leadership.

The results are in a few words “transformative” and “life-changing.” Most have never stood up front of a group or been able to express themselves to their peers. In many cases, it’s also the first time the students have been recognized for achievement.  

We couldn’t prouder of Beth’s students and can’t wait to see what they decide to achieve next.

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YLP Graduate Wins Scholarship, Sets Sights High

If you need a healthy dose of inspiration and determination, a graduate of Rochester Chamber Toastmasters Youth Leadership Program may be in a clinic near you someday soon to deliver it as a nurse.

This past week, Diana Sanchez of Rochester, Minnesota was awarded the Overcoming Adversity Keeping Strong (OAKS) Scholarship from Rochester Community Technical College. The OAKS scholarship program awards deserving students from Rochester and surrounding areas a scholarship to attend RCTC.

The OAKS program pays tribute to students who have overcome tremendous odds to become personally and academically successful.

Diana came to the United States from Mexico when she was four-years old and didn’t speak a word of English. She struggled with anorexia and self-esteem issues and in seventh grade she began attending the Rochester Alternative Learning Center, which is geared toward students who don’t excel in the city’s traditional high schools.

Among the many classes Diana took at the ALC was a speech course conducted by Beth Rojas. Since 2013 Beth has been partnering with members of Rochester Chamber Toastmasters. Over a space of eight sessions held in the Fall or Spring of each academic year, the Toastmasters volunteer to facilitate one-hour classes which highlight key skills of public speaking and leadership.

The transformation brought about through Beth’s nurturing instruction, positive feedback from the Toastmasters and the YLP curriculum are transformative. From barely having the confidence to say their names in front of a group, to giving full presentations, the results can be life changing.

Beth couldn’t be prouder of her former student and emailed her congratulations, “You continue to amaze me each and every day by your level of self-confidence, never-ending compassion for others and living your life in a way that others notice and want to be more like you!  Continue to reach for the stars, Diana and always look to the sky!”

Another one of Diana’s former ALC teachers, Leah Baethke, was on hand as she received the scholarship and summed it up this way in an email, “Diana left everyone with tears in their eyes. She did a remarkable job giving an emotional speech in front of 500 strangers. She couldn’t have been a better representation of what the ALC is all about, and everyone was so impressed with her and had lots of questions for me about our school (which I was happy to brag about).So proud to be a member of the ALC community!”

In a video detailing her story, which reveals the current immigration debate over Differed Action for Child Arrivals (DACA) will directly affect her future, Diana says her goal is to become a pediatric nurse. In her words, “I want to help people, heal people, be there when maybe they don’t have anybody else.”

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Holy Everything: Toastmasters help ALC students open doors

Emily Carson [email protected]

Public speaking is consistently ranked the number one fear of adult Americans. The Rochester Chamber Toastmasters are disrupting that familiar narrative by empowering area high school students to confidently embrace public speaking opportunities.

The Toastmasters’ 8-week Youth Leadership Program is wrapping up its sixth year at the Alternative Learning Center (ALC), one of Rochester’s public high schools. On Wednesday mornings for the last two months, students have been gathering from 8 a.m. to 8:50 a.m. in Beth Rojas’ classroom for the program.

On a particularly sunny Wednesday morning earlier this spring, I had the opportunity to sit in on a session. Tim Amert, Mike Winkles and Greg Klinger were the three Toastmasters volunteers that day.

After a review of the morning’s schedule, it was time for the three student speeches of the day. A volunteer leader from the classroom did all the introductions that day and formally shook each speaker’s hand as the Toastmasters protocol encourages.

First, Gabe gave a talk about procrastinating complete with a bag full of props, sailor hat, and the kind of playful humor that instantly warmed up the room. Next, Jacq shared about the positive impacts of drawing. She provided a desktop full of samples and asked classmates to take one if they’d like.

“There isn’t a person in here who can’t do a fantastic drawing. Anyone can draw,” she said encouragingly.

Seth then gave his speech about the brain benefits of playing chess, complete with a board and all its pieces.

The room filled with applause after each speech. From the outside, it appeared to be a typical high school classroom, but inside it felt like more. Rojas’ classroom, like all the rooms of the ALC, are spaces that have been cultivated by teachers, students, administrators and community partners to be grounded in an attitude of mutual respect, adaptability and encouragement.

The session lasted just less than 50 minutes. The three Toastmasters expressed individual feedback to each of the day’s speakers. Several students also had the opportunity to give spontaneous speeches. The day concluded with everyone helping to get the space back in order and set up for the next class to begin.

After class I spoke with Seth and Jacq, two of the morning’s speakers. Jacq said, “It’s a useful experience for everyone. It’s also really fun.” Seth shared next. He described the ways that the training has helped him to improve eye contact during public speaking. “These are all skills that are going to help us later in life,” he reflected.

For Rojas, the partnership with the Rochester Chamber Toastmasters has been outstanding. She teaches a variety of subjects at ALC and primarily focuses on ninth-grade students.

“I can’t say enough wonderful things about this partnership with Toastmasters,” she said. “They’ve been great mentors to my students.”

The Toastmasters also feel encouraged by the partnership with ALC.

“Partnerships like this are so important to our community because everyone benefits,” Klinger said. “The students and school benefit from having some guidance for the kids as they tackle public speaking. As Toastmasters, the Youth Leadership Program is one way we can serve the community, which I think is the main reason a lot of us want to improve our public speaking and leadership skills through Toastmasters to begin with.”

Klinger and fellow Toastmaster Amert both highlighted that the students of ALC are a source of inspiration to them. Amert described that, over the years, the students have taught him that “persistence and perseverance and drive can overcome big issues.” Klinger said that being with the students reveals that “everyone has a story or a talent that will take you by surprise.”

Public speaking is a life skill that can open doors and increase confidence. The partnership between the ALC and the Rochester Chamber Toastmasters is a reminder that when groups work together, new possibilities expand and mutual transformation takes place.

Holy Everything is a weekly column by Emily Carson. She is a Lutheran pastor serving at the Southeastern Minnesota Synod Office in Rochester. Visit her blog at emilyannecarson.com.

Click here to see the rest of the graduates!

Our thanks to the PostBulletin. Read the original article online by clicking here.

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Thesaurus Thursday - Rochester Chamber Toastmasters showed our “mettle” this morning after our meeting area turned into a swamp overnight.

Our feet began to go “squish squish squish” as soon as we walked into the old Holiday Inn building on Broadway in downtown Rochester.

It’s been under renovation for the past year, but we knew there was just too much muddy water on the floor to have been tracked in from our recent snow fall.

Our intuition was correct, pieces of false ceiling tiles had fallen in the main atrium. They’d collapsed under the weight of a water leak overnight. 

A contract worker confirmed that the water was likely due to a sprinkler malfunction on the building’s second floor, which is where a project  to create a new hotel and restaurant is still underway.

The resulting downpour made several offices and hallways seem like a swamp. The Rochester Chamber of Commerce’s offices were hit hard. Along with squishy carpeting, a huge smart TV in the main conference room appeared to be inoperable as a result.

Rochester Chamber Toastmasters members quickly took steps to conduct their meeting from the opposite end of the room so that speakers would have a monitor for the powerpoint portion of their presentations.

Toastmaster Craig Weckwerth and his team were able to adlib their agenda for a successful meeting despite a late start and a reconfiguration of the room. You could say a little extra moisture was no match for their mettle.

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Say the Secret Word & Win a Prize


Groucho Marx would be proud!


As host of the TV show “You Bet Your Life” the comedian always had an extra prize ready should a contestant say the “secret word.” 


While Rochester Chamber Toastmaster Tim Amert has made it a mission to keep the secret “Word of the Day” tradition alive, it appears fellow club member Craig Weckwerth did him one better at a recent Toastmasters meeting.


During his assignment as Grammarian, Craig Decided there would be both a “secret word” and a “moste secret word.”


Whoever uttered the phrase that pays would get themselves a nice dozen of farm fresh eggs.


Craig reports that Eric Gatz deserved the first dozen for his shameless attempt to say the right word while displaying his remarkable “vocabulary;” which as it turns out was the secret word.


Meanwhile, fellow club member Rick Lien walked away with the other dozen for the word “luck.” Rick may not have actually uttered the word, but as Craig puts it: Rick got the second package “because we’re lucky to have him.” 


Oh, did we mention that Craig is a really good egg?

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Youth Leaders Shine in High Level Visit from District Cabinet Members

Talk about pressure. If it isn’t hard enough to get up in front of your peers and do a little public speaking, add some school district education dignitaries and see if you don’t gain a few extra butterflies.

Members of Beth Rojas’ speech class seemed to take the high level visit to their classroom in stride. 

They’re a part of a Spring session of the Toastmasters Youth Leadership Program which just started a few weeks ago at the Rochester Alternative Learning Center.

The YLP program offers ALC students a structured public speaking and leadership course which helps build several skills; the most important might just be the confidence to stand in front of your fellow students and to talk; whether it’s an off the cuff question or a structured speech, each session is a learning opportunity and the personal transformation at the end of eight weeks is nothing short of extraordinary.

As you’ll see in the note addressed to the ALC staff, the YLP students were certainly one of the highlights of the visit by cabinet members of School District 535.

The YLP is a volunteer effort and has been an ongoing partnership with Ms. Rojas over the past six-years. Members of Rochester Chamber Toastmasters and other local clubs volunteer their time each week to create a meaningful hour of learning and in many cases, life changing challenge and fun.

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Recognition for RALC

Congratulations to our YLP Students & Staff Members!

We knew that our Toastmasters Youth Leadership Program students were outstanding, now we know they’ve got company throughout the building at the Rochester Alternative Learning Center (RALC).

The Minnesota Association of Alternative Programs has recognized their hard work and named them the 2019 MAAP School of the Year.

The RALC features several excellent programs that meet the students’ many needs. We at Rochester Chamber Toastmasters are proud to say we’ve had a small part in helping to make it a unique and valuable learning experience.

Since 2013, Chamber members have teamed up with speech instructor Beth Rojas for fall and spring sessions featuring Toastmasters International’s Youth Leadership program. Beth offers encouragement throughout the week and during eight, one-hour sessions, Toastmasters focus on the fundamentals of leadership, organizing and giving speeches.

It is a confidence building and transformative experience for most teens. While we’re pleased by the MAAP honor, we are not surprised. If you get a chance to meet Beth, her fellow instructors and their students, you are certain to be impressed and inspired.

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Favorite People, Impactful Stories

The fall session of the Toastmasters Youth Leadership Program is revealing more about a select group of teens at Rochester’s Alternative Learning Center.

The assignment on a recent Wednesday morning was for students to talk about their favorite person and to explain why they have been so impactful to them.

As members of Rochester Chamber and Suburban Toastmasters clubs offered their encouragement, we heard from speaker who described a special grandfather; a guy who liked tea, was a snappy dresser and offered his family strength in hard times.

Another teen credited several adults for saving him and his siblings as their mother’s substance abuse led to homelessness and his father served a prison sentence. As his life begins to improve in Rochester, he is now more sensitive to those who are hurting, and he feels a need to help them if he can.

It’s a small example of the revealing and transformative power of public speaking, and the confidence it builds in the teens who are taking risks and learning life-changing skills in Beth Rojas’ classroom.