A Midland resident, Rebecca Pontaski, was recently honored at the Toastmasters International Convention in the Bahamas.
“I was asked, as a district director, to carry a flag. The flag was Costa Rica. I thought, Why not honor this flag in an authentic-style dress? I went to Midland Community Theater, and I utilized their wardrobes and rented an actual outfit that I took all the way to Nassau, Bahamas,” Pontaski, who serves as the District Director of Toastmasters International, told KMID/KPEJ Yourbasin News.
Pontaski recently hosted District 23's last Toastmasters Club officer training of the summer on Aug. 12. She offered new club officers tools for clubs to be successful. She also works for the Midland Health System.
“She says her community played a part in the honor,” the Yourbasin report states.
Toastmasters International is a worldwide nonprofit educational organization that works to encourage individuals to become more effective with communication and leadership.
The event is sponsored by the International Coaching Federation, Netania Walker, Sheryl Roush, Speakermatch, Speeko, Stage Time University, The Speaker Lab, and We Are Agency, according to the Toastmasters website.
The organization offers free sessions as well as an all-access pass that includes education sessions, the World Championship of Public Speaking, the Golden Gavel Award Presentation, the International Speech Contest Semifinals, and an Accredited Speaker Program.
“Thank you to all who took part in a Bahamian adventure that was both a meeting of the minds and a sanctuary for the soul,” the event’s website says. “We learned, connected, and explored a sea of communication possibilities!”