BATON ROUGE — A Baton Rouge Magnet High School student won a national oratorical competition in New York City.

Niles Haymer II, 16, took first place at the 100 Black Men of America's inaugural Oratorical Competition with his speech, "What Leadership Means To Me."

"I really felt the words of that speech," Haymer said.

His speech used the national organization's theme, "Rooted in Mission. Strengthened by Unity. Shaping the Future," and challenged his peers to embrace leadership by serving others and standing together.

"Leadership isn't about being the loudest person in the room. It's about believing in what you're saying enough that people want to listen," Haymer said. "That's what I tried to bring to this speech."

Haymer credits his passion for public speaking to his involvement as a mentee in the 100 Black Men of Metro Baton Rouge's Project Excel. The program focuses on middle and high school Black male students, with the goal of teaching life skills, improving academic outcomes and developing citizenship skills.

He also stressed the importance of the preparation he received from his oratory coach, Jeremey L. Blunt, an empowerment speaker with 100 Black Men.