Harlan County High School Senior Kylie Royce loves to tell stories. She tells them so well, in fact, that she was named a 2018 Kentucky Youth Storytelling Torchbearer.

Royce’s journey started with her being named Grand Champion of the 2017 Pam Holcomb Memorial Storytelling Showcase last year. She advanced to the state and was named one of five winners over the summer.

The Kentucky Youth Storytelling competition is a statewide effort to develop, encourage, and highlight the talent of our young storytellers between the ages of 7 and 17.

Her journey began when she enrolled in the dual credit speech class at Harlan County High School offered through Southeast Kentucky Community & Technical College under the instruction of Carlton Hughes.

“Mr. Hughes talked me into competing at the Swappin’ Meetin’ and so I did,” she said.

An audition for a play in high school led her to her award winning performance on “How I found out what I wanted to do in life.”

It stemmed from her auditioning for a play in the drama class at her high school. She auditioned for the role of Dorothy but landed a role as a tree in a comedy on puns of the “Wizard of Oz.”

Although extremely disappointed she did not get the role she wanted, Royce said she now understands it was for the best.

“I received a lesser role,” she said with a smile. “However, I was then tagged for assistant director, instead of getting the part I really wanted.”

Royce says she loves to perform. She took one of life’s lessons of disappointment and turned it into an award winning performance.

“I really like making people laugh,” she said. “Sometimes you just have to laugh at yourself.”

“It was a great experience,” she said.

Hughes said, “I am one proud teacher.”

“Kylie’s story was about her experience of auditioning for a role in a play at HCHS, with unexpected consequences,” he said. “She developed it for an assignment in my Basic Public Speaking class.”

He said only five youth storytellers are chosen from across the state.

In addition to her storytelling success, she was selected for the Kentucky Governor’s School for the Arts this past summer.

The Kentucky Center Governor’s School for the Arts is a three-week summer program for rising juniors and seniors in the state of Kentucky. More than 1,700 students audition for 256 spots in the program.

The daughter of Greg Royce and granddaughter of Joe and Jeanette Deal, she is serving as co-president of the drama club, historian for the choir, and a member of Talent Search, National Honor Society, Beta Club and Spanish Honor Society.

For more information on the Torchbearer honor, visit www.kystory.org.