“Goooooooooooood Morning Trojans!” echoes from sidewalk to sidewalk, a morning call that beckons for a good day. But who are the students behind the intercom? The announcers are a team of students that, at the split second of the first period bell, rush to J-08 where they declare our school and student activities on campus in the near future. Sophomore Kush Brahmbhatt is just one of the many talented announcers on campus. He tackled first semester’s announcements and talked about overcoming public speaking, embarrassing stories, and having a great time.
Q: What do you enjoy best about morning announcements?
A: I like having my voice heard among the whole school every morning, because I get the opportunity to greet people as one of the first things in the morning and I also feel very energetic when I do morning announcements. It really makes my day.
Q: Was there an embarrassing moment where you messed up?
A: The announcement script was printed in really small font and my hand was shaking the whole time, so I couldn’t read the script and flunked everything. I butchered, like, five names.
Q: Are you nervous when you do morning announcements?
A: Not anymore. I used to be.
Q: Do people recognize your voice as the morning announcer?
A: Yeah, they do. My teacher reacts very positively, saying she really enjoys hearing whenever I announce. My other classmates and my friends are always super impressed, like ‘Oh my God, you were on the announcements, that’s amazing!’ I just get super encouraged by my peers.
Q: You teach us about the news on campus, but is there anything that you personally learned from morning announcements?
A: It’s boosted my confidence, for sure. I feel a lot more supported and I’ve become a lot more enthusiastic. I’m not the introvert that I was before the announcements. I also know all the announcements at the top of my head.
Q: How do you feel about reciting the pledge every morning? Do you feel as if it’s outdated?
A: As long as we’re not forcing the students to stand up. It’s up to the students to decide if it’s relevant or not. We mostly just do it for formality.
Q: Do you talk like you do on the intercom in real life?
A: No, because when I talk in real life, I talk more recklessly. On the mic, I have to bounce around between an enthusiastic and a formal tone. It’s really weird, because I feel like my voice changes when I hop on the intercom. It’s like my voice box just becomes deeper and clearer, but my friends tell me I sound like a baby in real life.
Q: Lastly, are you a morning person?
A: Yes. 100%.