Dr. Carlton Young will compete in August for the title of World Champion of Public Speaking

ATLANTA - May 28, 2017 - PRLog -- Dr. Carlton Young of Ellenwood will compete in August for the title of World Champion of Public Speaking.

Atlanta, GA., May 26, 2017 — With his speech titled "Semper Fi – Always Faithful," Dr. Carlton Young, a 67 year-old retired marine, won the Toastmasters International Speech contest for Georgia District 44 on Saturday, May 13th. It is the prelude to the contest for the World Championship of Public Speaking.

Young, along with seven other finalists, reached the District 44 championship level after several elimination rounds where over 5,000 Toastmasters had the opportunity to compete by delivering a five-to seven-minute speech which is judged on various criteria including speech development, originality, effectiveness, speech value, speaker's delivery, and grammar.

The journey began in January, 2017 earning him the privilege to compete with 90 other semifinalists from around the world on Thursday August 24 at the 86^th Toastmasters International Convention in Vancouver, Canada. Each semifinal contest winner advances to the World Championship of Public Speaking® where 10 finalists will compete to win the title of World Champion.

"The toastmasters experience can make a difference in any career or organization. It helps you focus on where you need to go, and helps you understand that your fears and failures are nothing more than the road maps to greater opportunity," says Young. This will not be Young's first time on the semifinals stage. He also competed at in the semifinals in 2015.

Young is active as a Georgia Toastmaster serving as president of Southern Toastmasters, Sergeant at Arms of North Gwinnett Advanced Toastmasters and is a member of Georgia District 14 Toastmasters club Phoenix Rising.

Young served 22 years in the United States Marine Corps during the Vietnam War 1969 - 1971 in a combat line unit, where he was awarded the "Soldiers Medal for Heroism" for his courageous actions and leadership in combat.

Dr. Young also served in the first Gulf War. His career took him to serve in the family services advocate's office as the drug alcohol and suicide counselor for Marine and Navy personnel and their families. After his career as a decorated Marine Dr. Young found himself living as a single parent and retired in August 1991, then went on to work for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in Washington, D.C. as a drug site coordinator. After two years in Washington, D.C. he was transferred to Atlanta, Georgia as the regional drug program manager.

Dr. Young left the FAA to become his own entrepreneur. After two years as a business man, Young had some real life financial setbacks, in which he and his son suddenly went from actively thriving to barely surviving.  While living out of the trunk of their car on the dangerous streets of Atlanta, Georgia, for more than three years, he lived as a single father and homeless man. Named the "Foremost Expert on Homelessness in America", Dr. Young has chronicled his life on the streets in the book titled: "From Home to Homeless to Success".

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About District 44 Toastmasters
District 44 represents over 200 Toastmasters clubs in Georgia.  District 44 is located west of I-85 to the Georgia line. For more information, please visit www.D44Toastmasters.org

About Toastmasters International Toastmasters International is a worldwide nonprofit educational organization that empowers individuals to become more effective communicators and leaders. Headquartered in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA, the organization's membership exceeds 345,000 in more than 15,900 clubs in 142 countries. Since 1924, Toastmasters International has helped people from diverse backgrounds become more confident speakers, communicators and leaders. For information about local Toastmasters clubs, please visit www.toastmasters.org.  Follow @Toastmasters on Twitter.