Speech Trek Finalists Announced

Posted At : March 9, 2011 8:52 AM

Three students, by delivering some very impassioned, unique and creative speeches, were selected for the final competition: Montanna Tarkington, a sophomore from Tulare Union High School, sponsored by the Visalia-Sequoia Branch, Emily Shumway, from Summerville High School and sponsored by the Sonora Branch, and Jasmine Khangura, a junior at Franklin High School, sponsored by the Sacramento Branch.

These three students and their chaperones will enjoy an all expense-paid trip to the AAUW CA convention for the fifth annual SPEECH TREK-ELEANOR STEM ALLEN MEMORIAL final competition on April 9, 2011 in Irvine. They will compete for a $1000 first place gift and $500 for second and third place. They will also receive a $50 gift certificate for micro financing with Kiva, an entrepreneurial organization that helps women and girls finance their own businesses.

Jesse Nelson (Roseville-South Placer branch) and Susan Vang (Stockton Branch) will each be receiving a $100 honorable mention gift. AAUW-CA SPEECH TREK is funded through a generous memorial honoring Eleanor Stem Allen, former Speech Trek Coordinator of Roseville/South Placer.

Public and private high school students competed throughout the state in the branches this year. The first place winners from the branches were then judged by members of the San Mateo County “Toastmasters” to determine the finalists and two honorable mentions.

The participants were asked to write and deliver a memorized five-minute speech that asked, “Seventy percent of the 1.2 billion people in the world living in poverty are women. What is the most significant barrier to be overcome to lift these women out of poverty? What organization, foundation or program is having the greatest impact on this barrier?

Judges for the final competition are being invited from local Irvine colleges/universities speech and communications professors and the local Irvine Toastmasters.

For more information, please call 650-697-6936 or speechtrek@aauw-ca.org.

Posted By : Harriet Tower Related Categories: Convention, Speech Trek, AAUW CA