Ryann K. Collette Earns Second Place in 2017 Public Speaking Contest

2017 Apr 28

The ninth annual Western New England University Public Speaking Contest took place on Thursday, April 13 in the St. Germain Campus Center with five undergraduate student finalists delivering their speeches before an enthusiastic audience.

Ryann Collette, a first-year Pre-Pharmacy major, won Second Place and a $75 cash prize for her speech titled "Why You Should Become a Vegetarian." Erin Carroll, a senior Management and Leadership major with a minor in Communication, won First Place in this year's contest. Carroll's speech was titled "Do Not Ignore Your Anxiety." Third Place went to Kiara Don, a senior Communication major with a concentration in Professional Communication, for her speech titled "Why Black Lives Matter." Honorable Mentions went to Annette Robak, a first-year Criminal Justice major, for her speech titled "Hang On To Your Childhood," and Steven O'Brien, a senior Communication major with a concentration in Media Theory and Production, for his speech titled "Love is a Choice."

The Department of Communication and the communication honor society Lambda Pi Eta organized this year's contest, and recruited this year's judges. The contest judges included Courtney Miller, a senior Communication major with a concentration in Media Theory and Production, and president of Xi Tau, Western New England University's chapter of Lambda Pi Eta; Dr. Karl Petrick, Associate Professor of Economics; and Cheryl Smith, General Counsel for Western New England University and adjunct faculty in the Department of Communication.