MSJC Students Earn Awards in Speech Tournament

Front Row: Christian Avendano (first place, Informative Speech); Trevor Torres (second place, Persuasive Speech). Back Row, left to right: Dr. Beverly R. Natividad; Professor Basemeh Rihan; Danielle Pegan (third place, Persuasive Speech); Ivette Jimenez (third place, Informative Speech); Abel Jesus (contestant, Informative Speech); Oscar Ortiz (first place, Persuasive Speech); Cornelius van Zandt (second place, Informative Speech). Photo courtesy Mt. San Jacinto College

Free college and Anime culture were the topics of the speeches that garnered two Mt. San Jacinto College students first-place trophies during the college’s recent Spring Speech Tournament.

Christian Avendano won first place in the informative speech category for his topic titled "American Media’s Misinterpretation of Animè Culture." In the persuasive speech category, Oscar Ortiz received first place for his speech "Tuition Free College." The MSJC Spring Speech Tournament was held on April 24 on the Menifee Valley Campus.

Avendano is a Cinema and Television major and Ortiz is a Communication Studies major. Both winners received a trophy and a cash prize.

Other winners in the informative speech category were Communication Studies major Cornelius van Zandt (seond place, "The American Patsy") and Administrative Justice major Ivette Jimenez (third place, "ESL Program"). In the persuasive speech category, the other winners were Theater Arts major Trevor Torres (second place, "Gay Rights") and English major Danielle Pegan (third place, "Suicide Prevention"). Each winner received a Certificate of Excellence and a cash prize.

The Spring tournament started with keynote addresses delivered by guest speakers Dr. Pat Schwerdtfeger, who is MSJC’s Vice President, and Gloria Brown from Toastmasters, Menifee chapter.

The Spring Speech Tournament, headed by Professor Basemeh Rihan, was organized by the Department of Communication Studies and the Communications Club at MSJC, Menifee Valley Campus. It was sponsored by the MSJC Foundation, WOW Action Services, McGraw-Hill Publications, and Oxford University Press.