Lyla Holst is a senior at Horizon Honors who has had many great achievements over her years at the school. She was born in Minnesota and came to Horizon in the third grade; early on in career at Horizon she got involved with the theater programs which got her interested in Speech and Debate, where she has become one of Horizon’s top team members. She has placed numerous times and is a great inspiration to the younger classmen on the team. Holst is involved on campus in many other ways, as she is a founder and active member of the Granny Square club at Horizon, which is a club where they do grandma-esque activities. 

The Horizon Sun managed to land an interview with her and talk about her Speech and Debate career. 

The Horizon Sun: What are your experiences with speech and debate?

Lyla Holst: I’ve been on the team since it started in my sophomore year and I have done both speech and debate.

The Sun: How do you balance school with speech and debate?

LH: Whenever I have spare time in my CCR class I work on my speeches. If I need extra practice I rehearse at home.

The Sun: What is an interesting story you have from speech and debate?

LH: When I was in my Sophomore year, I was working on an essay for English and my topic inspired me to make an informative speech for the next tournament.

The Sun: What is your favorite speech topic?

LH: I like acting ones. Pros dramatic interpretation or duet acting are some of the ones I enjoy.

The Sun: How do you feel when performing your speeches?

LH: I feel really nervous, like the day before and the day of.

The Sun: What are your achievements in speech and debate?

LH: During my sophomore year I got sixth in state for my Pros, and this year I got sixth in state for my Duet acting.

The Horizon Sun congratulates Holst on her achievements throughout her career and wishes her luck at Arizona State University next year!