DRAKE LEACH is currently a student at George Mason University pursuing a BFA in Theatre Performance with a Concentration in Musical Theatre! Drake began competitive forensics in the eighth grade, (thank you Ms. Jones!), and has since competed in every high school and collegiate event with the exception of limited prep because he is a scaredy-cat who fears improvisational smart talk – though he generally fears smart-talk out of principle, scripted or otherwise. In his career, Drake has become a six-time TFA state finalist, the 2016 NSDA runner-up in Program Oral Interpretation, a two-time (2017/2018) NSDA semi-finalist in Humorous Interpretation, four-time NSDA qualifier, George Mason Patriot Games Individual Sweepstakes Champion, Longhorn Games Individual Sweepstakes Runner-Up, 2018 Glenbrooks Humorous Interpretation Champion, UIL 2017 Prose Champion, recipient of the NIETOC 2018 Perfect Performance Individual Sweepstakes Award, and preliminary competitor at the Southlake, Texas Carroll Senior High School local tournament. He also is the recipient of the greatest mentors a teenager could have asked for in Grant Hahn, Colin Malinak, Joe Muller, and Bethany Bohall; and if he was forced to choose between the success he’s found or the lessons these four taught him, the latter would win without a second’s hesitation.
DRAKE: Speech isn’t trophies, it’s dressing up in a suit you’d never wear on a Saturday morning you’d never wake up this early on to perform a piece you’re half-way confident you have memorized while becoming a better person. It’s memories with people you’d never thought you’d meet in places you’d never think you’d be in. It is every single thing except the trophies. Sign up for a slot with him if you’d like to focus on anything becoming a better performer.