Winners gain confidence and communication skills, accolades and scholarship money
Drumroll please! Oakland Community College is pleased to announce winners for its second annual speech and drama competition. First place winners were Lynn Williams in the speech category and Kalen Rogers in the drama competition. The competitions were judged by independent professionals in the field.
Each first-place winner will received $400 in scholarship money for their submissions. Second place winners received $250, and third place winners were awarded $100.
About the winners
Williams, who presented a persuasion speech about helping those with addiction, says she was encouraged to pursue the scholarship after OCC communications faculty member Robyn Tennison encouraged her to submit a speech she had written for Tennison’s communications class.
“I wrote this speech in her class, and the power of its content has affected many people in a positive way,” said Williams. “This experience helped me get out of my comfort zone once again and challenge myself. I am grateful for the encouragement from Robyn Tennison and it was a great experience.”
Williams is currently taking courses in addiction studies and plans to help those suffering from addiction in any way she can.
Rogers, who is pursuing an associate in arts, concentrating in Theatre, presented excerpts from three cuttings around the theme of ‘dealing with a breaking point.’ He was encouraged to compete by his Theatre Instructor, Jennifer Little, and a friend who won the competition last year.
“My future goals are to eventually become a professional actor in order to spread joy through entertainment. I want to be the one light that can shine bright enough in this dark world to let people know that there is still hope,” he said.
Rogers is one of the leads in OCC’s fall theatre production, 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. The musical runs in November at the Orchard Ridge Smith Theatre.
Scholarship details and criteria
The annual competition was developed by OCC faculty, Carole Bennett, who also serves as OCC’s Forensics Team coach and Jennifer Little, who leads OCC’s theatre program. Their goal was to offer talented students in drama and speech the opportunity to perform as well as potentially increase student participation in both the forensic team and theatre programs.
“Winning is fun” says Bennett, “but learning new skills and challenging oneself is the real reward. When students try events like this, they can become more powerful and emotive presenters, and that will serve them well no matter what their major is.”
Students from any field of study that registered for fall classes were eligible to submit a video of a 7–10-minute performance of a dramatic speech such as a monologue, prose, poetry /or spoken word or a combination of two or more of these genres. For the informative or persuasive speech category, participants were instructed to deliver an original, factual speech fulfilling the general purpose of informing or persuading the audience.
Students interested in participating next year can also take part in remote and in-person coaching, join the Forensics Team, and continue practicing their public speaking skills. Oakland Early College and Dual Enrolled students can compete, but they are not eligible to win prizes.
Judges include professionals in the field
Paul Friedrich and Tyler Hill, both with a master’s degree in communication, served as judges for the speech competition while the drama competition judges represented different areas of theatre and provided students with networking opportunities.
“Broadway actress Rita Harvey, who worked with me on “The Phantom of the Opera” on Broadway and the national tour, Rob Wentworth, founder and agent at iGroup Agency in Detroit, as well as Leah Smith, artistic director of Detroit Repertory Theater, gave their time and talent as judges in the competition,” said Little.
Learn more
For students interested in competing in the speech, performance and debate team, the Forensic Team webpage will announce the information in late March / early April. Students who want to perform or speak with the forensic team can contact Carole Bennett at cabennet@oaklandcc.edu.
Students interested in being in a play at OCC should contact Jennifer Little at jalittle@oaklandcc.edu.
About OCC
Oakland Community College offers nearly 100 degrees and certificates programs with the resources students need to be successful and advance our community. As a top transfer institution, OCC offers one of the state’s most affordable tuition rates and flexibility in scheduling with face-to-face and online options. The College is nationally recognized for its high-demand career training with expert faculty in their fields. More than 1 million students have enrolled in the College since it opened in 1965. Learn more at oaklandcc.edu.
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