2017 Oral Advocacy Showcase and Competition

Tue, 25 April, 2017 10:00am

Sophomore Emily Horak took home the Oral Advocacy Award on Tuesday, April 25, 2017. The award was presented at the department’s Oral Advocacy Showcase and Competition. Horak, a political science major with a minor in women’s, gender and sexuality studies, presented a persuasive speech on the need for opt-out, or “presumed consent,” policies for deciding to be an organ donor.

The competition included four other undergraduate students delivering persuasive speeches, including Ilona De Heusch, Bhavya Pathak, Lisa Blitstein and Brianna Borghi, who was named runner-up with her speech on the dangers of texting and driving. All student participants received a prize for the distinction of being selected for the showcase.

All five speakers were selected by peers in their respective COMM 1040 Public Communication classes. The winner was determined by a panel of judges that included Gelaye Debebe, Lucian Lu and Jean Miller from the Department of Organizational Sciences and Communication; Christine Clapp, president of Spoken With Authority; and Liliya Karimova, a research fellow at the Wilson Center. Barry Piatt served as chief judge. The event was emceed by Patrick Kane, a senior in the Elliott School of International Affairs. Assistant Professor of Communication Katrina Pariera organized the event.


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