FYI:
For Your Information

Nataya Boonmaad and Warangkhana Damnad are the only two LDS students in their high school of 3,000 in Mahasarakham, Thailand. But that doesn’t slow them down when they want to be examples.

Nataya was elected student-body president. She was also chosen to represent her school at a provincewide speech contest. Nataya chose to speak on the Word of Wisdom and received top honors as outstanding speaker in the competition.

Warangkhana was one of two students in the province chosen to be a foreign exchange student. She was also an excellent basketball player, and one of the most outstanding students of English in the school.

Both girls are members of the Mahasarakham Branch, Thailand Bangkok Mission.

Every time you have to speak or perform before a group, do you get butterflies in your stomach? Here are a few ideas to help conquer that queasy feeling:

• Rehearse the event in your mind. In your mental rehearsal, make things turn out the way you’d like them to.

• Picture how you’ll look (great), how you’ll feel (confident and prepared), and how you’ll perform (wonderfully).

• See yourself handling a momentary pause or slight mistake easily and with skill. Maybe you can even picture yourself using a little humor if the microphone breaks down.

• Mentally go over the event several times, always picturing yourself succeeding.

  Then when the real thing happens, it will seem like you’ve already done it many times before. In a way, you have.

Noell Joseph (N.J.) Broadbent, 18, is truly a leader among his peers.

As a senior in high school he was chosen to attend the National Youth Congressional Leadership Conference in Washington, D.C. He was also the senior class president and the co-salutatorian of his graduating class. His classmates voted him “Most Likely to Succeed” and “Best Personality.” He also used his leadership abilities as the vice-president of his school’s chapter of SADD (Students against Drunk Driving).

He graduated from seminary and earned his Eagle Scout Award. He is a member of the Blythe First Ward in the Blythe California Stake.

Cathy Carmode made a commitment to pray and read her scriptures daily, and she has kept that commitment. And her dedication has opened the door for many gospel discussions.

Cathy has been very involved in school and participated in the band and on the speech team. She also served as president of the foreign language club. She placed second in the state Latin competition and first in the state Spanish competition. She was editor of the school newspaper and maintained a 4.0 grade point average.

A member of the Murray Branch, Hopkinsville Kentucky Stake, Cathy has served as chorister in either Sunday School or sacrament meeting since she was nine. She has also served as the president of her Young Women classes.

Barry Olsen of the Ucon Idaho Third Ward has received many awards for his photography skills. He won the sweepstakes award in the national Quill and Scroll photography contest. He also took third place honors in the Columbia Scholastic Press Association’s photography contest.

Barry also received a superior rating in the Idaho Journalism Advisers Association Write-Off contest in the photography division. He received a scholarship to Ricks College.

The Young Women of the Odessa First Ward, Odessa Texas Stake, decided to truly share their talents and interests during a special evening. Each of the girls made a display of something she was interested in and gave a short talk about it. All of the girls learned two new songs that were sung as part of the program.

In addition to the displays and talks, some of the young women shared other talents such as singing, dancing, and playing musical instruments.

Emily Marlowe Hancock was named the winner of the National Junior American Citizenship competition. The contest, sponsored by the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution, included over 22,000 entries. Emily’s winning entry included a chart and report about her family’s genealogy. She used pedigree charts and family history records to chronicle how her ancestors came to be members of the Church.

Emily is a Beehive in the Harkers Island Ward, Kinston North Carolina Stake. She is also an honor roll student, a member of the drama club, and a cheerleader.

Stephanie King loves softball, but she didn’t want it to interfere with her church attendance. Stephanie talked to her coaches and is now excused from all Sunday games and Wednesday practices that would interfere with her Mutual attendance.

Stephanie, a Beehive in the Jeffersonville Ward, New Albany Indiana Stake, also enjoys being active in school. She consistently makes the honor roll and participates in basketball, student council, and the school newspaper.

Kristen Gilbraith can be counted on to go the distance. She is an excellent long-distance runner and has won three straight 3,200-meter Idaho state titles.

Kristen’s goal is to win the title a fourth time, a feat that has never been done.

To accomplish her goals, Kristen runs regularly all year long. But, in addition, she takes time to be on the honor roll at her high school and serve as president of her Laurel class. Kristen is a member of the Sugar City Third Ward, Sugar City Idaho Stake.

Julie Carnaghan has always loved music, both instrumental and vocal, and is talented in both areas. She sings alto with her school choir and accompanied them to the Montreux Festival in Switzerland where they won their event. Julie also plays the oboe in the Belfast City Youth Orchestra.

Julie is the only LDS student in her high school, and she faced opposition when she joined the Church. Since she and her mother were baptized, many of Julie’s other relatives have joined the Church. She is a member of the Rosetta Ward, Belfast Northern Ireland Stake.

Renee Holloway, a member of the Bonifay Ward, Panama City Florida Stake, is a goal setter.

At the beginning of her senior year she set several goals that helped her throughout the year. She decided she would read her scriptures every night and devote time to seminary study. She also achieved a goal to complete her Young Womanhood Recognition.

Renee received an award as the outstanding senior band member at her high school. She also received an award for being the most outstanding senior in her graduating class, an accomplishment she believes she couldn’t have achieved without setting goals. Renee said she was often inspired by the many faithful Latter-day Saint teenagers she read about in the New Era.