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Jett Setton sitting on the stairs at College of Alameda
 
Jett Setton wasn’t expecting to become an orator.  
For the last two years, ASTI has given students a chance to participate in the Poetry Out Loud Contest, a national program that encourages the study of great poetry through recitation. So far Jett has been more interested in Computer Science than English. But this past fall, he decided “on a whim” to enter.
“My parents were surprised,” he notes. “My friends were surprised. But I thought, ‘maybe I’ll give this a try.’”
Jett chose Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken” and ended up being chosen as the top reader by the school. “I love that poem,” he says. “I love the sound. I love what it meant.”
Because he won the ASTI competition, Jett went on to the Alameda County Poetry Out Loud contest in February.  There he won first prize again with his recitation of “The Road Not Taken.”
“I was surprised to win,” he says. “But it was such a good experience. The crowd was very supportive, and the Poetry Out Loud staff was awesome. They talked to us about recitation tips and tricks. They even gave us examples of how to do it. And they helped create a really nice community around the event.
As the county winner, Jett next went on to the state competition. “I was very nervous,” he said. “But then I started listening to the other people and really getting into the meaning of their poems and how they were presenting. It was fun.”
Jett didn’t win at the state competition, but he says the experience was invaluable, and he is considering doing it again next year – including taking advantage of the opportunity to write one of his poems. “I wasn’t expecting to do any of this,” he says, “but I am really glad I did.”