Marshall said he feels excited and ready for his performance and that the entire process has been quite enjoyable. He won the Poetry Out Loud Competition at Wando, which brought him to the Regional Competition. Ninth grade Honors English teacher Patrick Martin applauds Rowland for his presence on stage as he says Marshall “exudes a sort of charisma that makes him stand out amongst the crowd” and that he combines his “intellectual understanding of poetry with a commanding presence” to grab the audience’s attention.