Patrick Cao, Editor-in-Chief
BCC’s 12th Annual Speech Competition will be held on April 2 in the Pitkin Education Center from 12 – 1:30 p.m.
The event is open to all students, who must present a six-minute informative or persuasive speech on any important issue or topic of their choice. $2,500 in awards from the office of the Academic Vice President will be divided amongst the top five winners of the competition.
Students will present their speech in the first round of speeches. The judges will decide who moves on to the final round, on April 23, when the remaining candidates will give their speeches again. That same day, the judges will then announce the five best speeches at the award ceremony.
The judges consist of 20 volunteer faculty and staff members, who will determine the quality of each speech by filling out a ballot noting things such as content and delivery.
The director of the competition, Professor Gina Costa, described the event as “a way for all students to express themselves by giving them a platform to talk about anything that they are passionate about.” She also noted that one of the competition’s main goals is to “have students overcome their fear of public speaking and develop better overall communication skills.”
The deadline to register is March 31. For more information, contact Professor Costa at gcosta@bergen.edu. To register, visit www.bergen.edu/speechcompetition.