Meet Linh Ta

By Joan Frances –

Lamar Consolidated Independent School District is home to Foster High School, whose mission statement is “to educate all students by ensuring access to a superior education through inspired leadership among parents, teachers, administrators and staff, allowing students to achieve their full potential to participate in future social, economic and educational opportunities in their community.” Thanks to a wonderful teaching staff and superior administration, one senior who has achieved all of her goals and looks forward to a successful future is Linh Ta.

During her four years at Foster High School, Linh has devoted her time to the Speech and Debate Program. Linh is very talented and has developed her forte in Humorous Interpretation (HI), Dramatic Interpretation (DI), Poetry (PO), Prose (PR), Duo and Duet events at weekly speech tournaments. When asked what it is about her involvement with this extracurricular activity that is so fulfilling, Linh replied, “When I first enrolled in high school, my communication skills were so poor. I was shy and somewhat anti-social. Speech and Debate really changed my life. I’ve learned so much about myself throughout the four years that I have been competing in speech, such as learning to be more confident, more outgoing and responsible.

“I discovered another side to me that I did not know existed before. I started out as a novice freshman year and worked my way up to captain my senior year, which was a satisfying accomplishment for me, because it just showed me that I’ve improved tremendously. If I had not joined Speech and Debate, I do not believe I would be who I am today, a confident and professional young lady.”

Linh has won numerous awards for her successes at tournaments all over the state. She was awarded Student of the Year in Oral Interpretation as a junior. She qualified and competed at the Texas Forensic Association State Tournament the past three years and at the National Forensic League National Tournament as a junior.

Linh is a member of the National Honor Society and was a student council member as a sophomore and junior. She lives by three values: respect, patience and faith. “I believe in the saying, ‘Treat others how you want to be treated.’ When we show respect to others, we are validating their dignity and also enhancing our own. One day, I received a fortune cookie that read, ‘Patience is the key to success.’ In order to become successful, one has to have patience in everything they do. Nothing is going to fall out of the sky. It takes time, effort and determination to become successful. Lastly, to have faith is another value I live by, because I believe that God has a plan for all of us, and if we have faith in Him and trust Him with all our heart, then He will make our path straight” (Proverbs 3:5-6).

When asked what she will treasure most about her high school experience, Linh replied, “All of the memories I created with my friends. They brought joy and happiness on a stressful day, and with them, the days just went by faster. After graduation, we are all going our separate ways, and communication is going to be tough. So, the memories we created together will be something I will treasure dearly.”

Linh will attend Wharton Junior College in the fall, then transfer to the University of Houston to major in Business Marketing. Congratulations on your talent and compassion, and good luck taking the next step to your future.