Name: Tapesh Chintada

Ice breaker speech

Title: All about me

Time: 3 - 4 Minutes

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If I had my way, I’d probably be giving this speech from inside a rocket — far away from this stage, somewhere in orbit where the only audience is a satellite.

Because honestly, standing here is scarier to me than being launched into space with zero training… and a broken shuttle.

Hi, I’m Tapesh. I was born in Chennai, and I currently live in Hyderabad 

Ever since I saw the stars twinkling in the night sky, I knew I didn’t want to just look at them — I wanted to understand what’s out there.

Planets, galaxies, black holes — I want to study them all.

Not physically visit them, of course 

Yes, I want to be a space scientist.

Now, I know what you might be thinking:

“Wow, a space scientist? That must take a lot of confidence!”

And you’d be right. I do have confidence… in science.

But when it comes to speaking in front of actual human beings?

That’s a whole other galaxy of anxiety.

Right now, my heart is racing faster than a rocket launch.

I’ve practiced this speech over and over — in the mirror, to my pillow, and even to the wall in my room.

But here’s what I realized:

If I truly want to work with ISRO or NASA someday, I can’t just hide behind a telescope or a whiteboard.

Scientists don’t just discover cool things — they explain them, present them, and sometimes even defend them in rooms full of reporters and researchers.

That means I need to speak — clearly, confidently, and without sounding like I just stepped out of a satellite 

That’s exactly why I joined Toastmasters — to learn, to grow, and to push myself out of my comfort zone.

Or at least gently scoot myself out of it… one speech at a time.

Now, when I’m not thinking about the mysteries of the universe, I keep myself grounded with two things I like: football and guitar.

Football is where I run around pretending I’m Messi... but usually end up passing to the wrong team.

Then there’s the guitar — that’s my escape. When I play, it feels like time slows down.

These two hobbies help me balance out the stress of school and science.

They remind me that the path to the stars isn’t always smooth — there are crash landings, communication failures, and wrong turns.

But every mistake is just another step in orbit.

So to sum it all up:

I’m just a student with a head full of dreams, a heart set on space, and absolutely no backup plan.

Sure, I’m nervous now — my legs are shaking like they just survived zero gravity — but I showed up.

And one day, just maybe, I’ll be able to say:

“That’s it from me — I’m Tapesh, and thanks for listening!"