My Story is an ALA tradition that involves having a member of the academy come up to the podium at assembly and present their story. Most stories are usually about the person’s experiences and include a time of darkness and later a time of self-discovery and happiness. My stories often leave the community inspired. It is a great time to get to know a member of the academy better. With all of that hype around My Stories, this year’s second years still do not want to share their stories. A majority of the second years that presented their story this year admit that they were pressured into doing it. Curiosity is one of ALA’s values so ALAians Media went in to investigate why second years do not want to share their stories.
The following anonymous quotes are second year answers to the question of why they do not want to share their story.
“I’m scared of public speaking. Terrified! If I stand in front of a crowd my voice will go shaky and then I’d die. But I really want to do it.”
“It’s none of your business.”
“I don’t have a story. What do you want me to say?”
“I’m not comfortable with talking about things that make me emotional in front of so many people.”
“I don’t want to tell my story because nobody cares when you tell your story and you tell people stuff they don’t deserve to know.”
“If someone wants to know my story they can come and find me.”
“I’d like to keep somethings to myself.”
There seems to be a variety of reasons why second years do not want to share their story. The pattern ALAians Media noticed is that second years are just not comfortable with sharing their story. Now the question is how ALA can make storytelling in public less unnerving? What do you think?
ALAians Media 
“…how ALA can make storytelling in public less unnerving? What do you think?”
I think there’s a false assumption that storytelling is unnerving for people. From your own responses, two people said they were unnerved by public speaking. In contrast, five people said they do not want to tell their stories because (and I’m generalizing their comments here) they are personal and private.
I’m another one of those people.
And I don’t appreciate the assumption that I(we) are unnerved, when maybe we are just private.
Maybe a more accurate question to ask (again, from your responses) would be ‘Why do 2nd years want to keep their stories to themselves?”
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