BLINN STUDENTS SHOWCASE PUBLIC SPEAKING SKILLS

  

Six Blinn College students put their persuasion skills to the test Monday during the second annual “Speak Up, Speak Out!” public speaking contest on the College’s Bryan campus.

Finalists Carlos Candia, Gregory Wyrick, Garrett Pessink, Baruc Monroy-Castillo, Roxanne Lane and Ryan Henson, were each selected by faculty judges from one section of the College’s public speaking course to represent their class in the contest. Each finalist gave a five to seven-minute speech on topics of their choosing, ranging from calorie consumption to animal rights.

Speak Up Speak Out Top Three

The audience was encouraged to use cell phones to cast their votes, and more than 200 student spectators filled the Barbara L. Pearson Banquet Room to support their classmates and weigh in on the top persuasive speaker.

Candia captured first place with a polished speech on calorie consumption in America. With little prior experience in public speaking, Candia said he was surprised and honored to be voted as the top speaker.

Carlos Candia
Carlos Candia

“I was amazed when my name was called,” Candia said. “My only experience is talking to my fellow marines in the Marine Corps; I’ve never given a speech to an audience this large. All the finalists were incredible. Having won is just amazing with the talent I saw.”

Garrett Pessink placed second with a speech on Doctors without Borders and Gregory Wyrick placed third with his presentation on the Lung Cancer Alliance. The three winners were awarded a $250 scholarship to the Blinn College-Bryan campus bookstore, with additional prizes for the first- and second-place winners.

The annual event, founded one year ago by the College’s Communications Studies Program and coordinated by speech instructors Britney Hibbeler and Rachel Jumper, showcases the talent in Blinn’s public speaking classes, which enroll more than 1,000 students.

“We were really excited about how the inaugural event turned out and we were hoping to have an event that either met or exceeded our expectations from last year. I think we did that,” Hibbeler said. “We are really impressed with the quality of speakers we had. They did a great job and we’re incredibly proud.”

Story Courtesy of Blinn College

 

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