STATEMENTS FROM THE 2020-2021 STUDENT SPEAKER MD4 FINAL CONTEST
MD4 CONTEST WINNER Alex Widman — Area 3
I write this as a guiding quote to all of those competing in the MD4 Student Speaker Contest. “If at first, you don’t succeed, try, try and try again.” (Robert the Bruce, 1314) It took four years of writing, revising, winning, and losing to get beyond the District round. Even then, I felt fortunate to make it beyond the Club contest. Never in a million years, did I think I could make the final round, let alone win. Although winning was a plus, I would say that learning to be confident in my ability as a speaker and an individual, would be my greatest takeaway. If someone from the middle of nowhere, can do it, I have faith that you can too. If not at first, “try, try and try again.”
As the co-captain of my Speech and Debate Team, I have competed and won many awards at tournaments throughout my high school career. I was even the California State Champion in Humorous Interpretation. Aside from Speech and Debate, all things math and science-related are of interest to me. For college, I intend to get a degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from UC Berkeley, and one day help bring opportunities of the STEM field to students of low income. In my opinion, education and experience are key.
I would first like to thank the Multiple District Four California Lions for giving students a platform to speak out on such important topics. More than that, the scholarships that are attached to the speak-off are enough to change one’s life. You have given me peace of mind when it comes to paying off my general education classes. This gives me time to work and save up money to pay for my major-specific courses. A thank you has to go out to my sponsoring club, the Cutler-Orosi Lions. They have stuck beside me during the four years of competition. Win or lose, they were still there to cheer me on. I would also like to thank my speech coach Karson Kalashian. He is probably one of the most sincerely aggravating people on planet Earth. However, without him, I would not be the person I am today. He drove his wife and two daughters from Sanger California to Reno just to watch me give my last in-person speech in High School. If he does not deserve a thank you, I don’t know who does. Lastly, I would like to thank my parents, Chad Widman and Linda Duran. They are the pillars that hold up my foundation. When times are rough, they are there to comfort me, but more importantly, they have always pushed me to be the best me I can be. Thank you, Mom and Dad, I love you.
Growing up in a low-income, minority community, I understand the importance of education. In my opinion, it is one of the most important things necessary to escape poverty. When the constant of school was stripped away from children, impoverished or affluent, it was clear that there were negative effects across the board. Grades dropped, motivation to push on nearly disappeared, and worst of all suicides among youth were on the rise. We as students needed to make our voices heard. If not for ourselves, then for our classmates that the education system let down.
There may not be a singular solution to providing equal education to all students during moments of national turmoil, but after COVID-19, it is clear that in- person schooling is necessary. Now that we understand how important in-person education is, we can do our part to ensure that it is never taken away again. We can do this by speaking out on behalf of our students. I have now become a Lions member to give back to my community and to speak up for those who can’t. “If at first, I don’t succeed, I will try, try and try again.”
MD4 CONTEST FINALIST Cassandra Gorman — Area 1
It started with an unassuming dentist appointment in my sophomore year of high school. This appointment caused me to be slightly late to school, and as I ran up to the front office, I was met with a large poster on the office door. I didn’t necessarily want to go to my second period class, so I stalled and read the poster, a large advertisement for the Lions Student Speaker Contest. I had never competed in anything like this before, but I decided to give it a shot. That one decision changed my direction in life, as the Student Speakers Contest has given me greater confidence, skill, and developed a love for public speaking. That year, I made it through the first three rounds, and I became hooked on public speaking and the feeling of researching, writing, and delivering my own speech and competing against incredibly talented students.
This year, with all the chaos surrounding the persisting consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, I wasn’t even sure if the Lions club would be holding the competition in a similar format, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that the club level would be held live and in-person! Not only that, but the topic this year was something I was incredibly familiar with: Distance learning. I got to work, researching and writing my speech about the pros and the cons of distance learning. After each round, I reached far outside my comfort zone, constantly working and improving on my speech, each time becoming more proud of myself and surprised with my own growth, as this competition has allowed me to reach to levels I never thought possible, instilling a newfound sense of confidence in myself. The support and encouragement I have received from the Lions clubs from all around California is truly indescribable, and this experience will impact me for years to come. Not only have I found a love for public speaking, I have also developed a stronger work ethic and found a family of Lions. This contest has affected me tremendously, and I owe so much to my local Lion club as well as every Lion in California who has made this contest possible. I once again thank every Lion for supporting thousands of students like me.
MD4 CONTEST FINALIST Hailey Pacely — Area 2
As a freshman in high school, my speech teacher at the high school encouraged all of the students to participate in the Lion’s Club Student Speaker Contest. My freshman year I felt too busy and intimidated to participate. The speech team at my high school was disbanded at the beginning of my sophomore year, so I no longer had high school competitions to participate in. The Lion’s Club contest came around again, and I saw an opportunity to participate in something I had an immense passion for: speech. I won the first and second round of competition only for it to be cancelled due to Covid.
Finally, my junior year the contest came around again. I’ll tell you a secret, I wrote my speech two days before the first competition. I still won! Then I memorized my speech the day of the next competition, won again, and again, until I reached the final competition. This contest truly changed my life this year. It was a very rough time for me, and this contest gave me an opportunity to feel like I was doing something positive. I met so many incredible people, and I am immensely thankful for the opportunity to compete and speak on an issue that is so relatable for me and millions of other students across the world. I’m so thankful for this contest, as it gives students a voice, the opportunity to learn more about service and leadership, and the opportunity to earn scholarships to help with college fees that many of us may not have been able to pay at all. Looking back on my experience, I’velearned so much from participating in the contest.
In school, I’m the captain of the volleyball team and the wrestling team, and I also play softball. I’m the President of Chowchilla’s Associated Student Body, as well as President for the Class of 2022. I’m also a member of our FFA chapter and STEM club. Outside of that, I’m passionate about supporting first responders and have my own small non profit to do just that.
Thank you to my sponsoring club, the Chowchilla Lions,
especially President Tim Coelho for all of the support! Also to the Madera Evening Lions, especially the Grants, for supporting me as well. Thank you Mary Manning for all of the hard work you put into this contest! Thank you to all of the Lions for the generosity and dedication you show to fund this competition. Finally, thank you to my mom for supporting me at every level of this competition. I hope to see you all for my senior year!
MD4 CONTEST FINALIST Nieves D’Souza — Area 4
I entered the 2020-2021 school year as the President of the Speech and Debate club at my high school. With limited funding and opportunities to compete, I was tasked with the challenge of finding competitions for us to develop skills in articulation, logic, and reasoning. Through the Lions Club Student Speaker Contest, an incredible opportunity fell into my lap - the chance for our club to compete and put our hard work to the test. My journey started with a speech at the city level; I applied social theories from my psychology class and current research to the topic, not realizing that the contest continued even further. As the rounds progressed, I fine-tuned my speech and developed my speaking style. The topic itself (“The Pros and Cons of Online and Distance Learning”) was relevant and challenged me to compare my personal experience with the communal experience of other students, integrating research with real life. I learned about how online and distance learning hurt students, empathizing with the experiences of other students, but also how it benefited students, recognizing benefits within my own experience. In circumstances that seemed to overlook the impact on students, the Lions Club provided an environment where I could advocate for my fellow students.
My journey through the Lions Club Student Speaker Contest was filled with adventure, learning, and a little chaos - from competing in a round while recovering from a minor concussion to traveling to Reno, Nevada for the final round, the experience was memorable! I am truly thankful for the support from my family and school which was a source of encouragement. Furthermore, I am grateful to the Lions Club for creating an environment that challenges students to evaluate issues that affect our world today and for all their support, especially the Lions Club of Temecula who cheered me on throughout the contest.
