Speaker motivates sophomores to be extraordinary using humor

When the red curtains of the McAfee Center were parted during tutorial on Nov. 26, the sophomore class was met with the sight of a slight man in a green T-shirt and faded blue jeans.

Principal Paul Robinson said sophomores are often overlooked due to their inevitable status as those stuck in the middle.

This is why Robinson called in the self-proclaimed “motivational ninja” Josh Shipp, 30, to give a presentation to the approximately 300 students in the sophomore class.

Shipp has given speeches at colleges like Harvard, MIT, Stanford and UCLA. He has recently written a book called “The Teen’s Guide to World Domination,” has appeared on MTV and is the host of a television show called “Jump Shipp” on Halogen, in which he helps people achieve their career goals.

Shipp began his speech by recounting a few random facts about himself. These included how he has ADD, is a member of a secret society and hates motivational speakers.

After Shipp’s combination of background information and funny remarks at his own expense, the sophomores were fascinated.

Growing up as an orphan in foster care, Shipp explained how he has received his fair share of bullying. These insults, he said, were what fostered his interest in comedy as a means of defense; any taunts against him would quickly be met with a witty remark.

Shipp then broke the ice with a few clever jokes, which most listeners found to be both entertaining and effective. According to sophomore April Khowong, Shipp’s natural humor loosened up the audience while also making his main points more memorable.

“He was really funny and related to the audience by making jokes,” Khowong said. “He always tried to get us to laugh, and then we felt more comfortable with him, so he could talk to us more.”

Once the audience had warmed up to him, Shipp recounted a story about how he once got arrested for speeding and spent the night in jail. After Shipp’s foster parents bailed him out, he expected them to be furious. Instead, his father told him something he would never forget.

“We see you not as a problem but as an opportunity,” Shipp’s father said.

Shipp said that when faced with undesirable circumstances, one has  two choices: to become bitter or better. Becoming bitter means giving up, trudging gloomily through life, while becoming better means learning from one’s mistakes.

Sophomores were pleased with how Shipp related his advice to events that had actually happened to him, rather than abstract, hypothetical situations. Khowong felt that the life anecdotes Shipp told reflected his self-assured personality.

“Usually you wouldn’t share childhood stories with someone, because it’s really personal, and you think that they’d judge you,” Khowong said. “But he didn’t seem to have problem having people judge him.”

Shipp also stressed the importance of keeping a positive attitude, especially when facing difficulties, remaining “optimistic but not unrealistic.” Twisting the trite saying regarding making lemonade out of life’s lemons, Shipp suggested that one instead squirt life in the eye with said lemons.

According to Shipp, it is a natural human tendency to hide one’s errors, believing that to reveal these failures would be to diminish one’s self-esteem. However, he emphasized how rising above these mistakes is the only way better one’s self-image and make an impact on others.

“Imperfection makes you human,” Shipp said. “Your humanity makes you influential.”

After the presentation, the halls were abuzz with sophomores’ positive reactions to the speaker. According to Khowong, the things Shipp said — ranging from his hilarious anecdotes and witty quips to his touching stories and meaningful advice — will not be forgotten for a long time.

“Whenever I’m feeling down,” Khowong said, “I’ll think about what he said — and all the funny things he said — and I’ll feel better.”