Troy University sophomore Emily Mosier earned the top score at the Intramural Speech Tournament hosted by the Hall School of Journalism and Communication on Oct. 27 in the HAL Hall of Honor.
Mosier, a double major in English and multimedia journalism, spoke about developing intercultural friendships at TROY and was awarded the Boyd-King Boyd Debate Scholarship for the highest score.
“I want to be a journalist and tell stories that need to be heard…but I have this terrible fear that I don’t have the right look or the right voice to hold an audience,” she said. “I walked away from this tournament with an enormous confidence boost.”
Guest judges Willie B. Williams from the City of Troy Public Relations department and Coach Randy Keck of Troy Athletics helped select finalists, with businessperson and former Congressional District candidate Vimal Patel of Dothan, Alabama, joining the judge’s panel for the second semester in a row.
“I always enjoy helping the students and providing feedback,” Patel said, “and the Hall School outdid itself with another great program.”
Kiara Posey, a junior communication studies major, earned the top score in the persuasive speaking category for her speech about the problem of procrastination.
“From this tournament, I learned that if I just put myself out there and try, great things can happen,” she said. “I was apprehensive about competing in the speech tournament because public speaking is not in my comfort zone, but pushing myself outside my bubble can have significant rewards.”
Hannah Grace Wilkinson, a junior majoring in communication studies, had the top informative speaking score, an honor she took home during last semester’s competition as well.
“I prepared for this tournament by practicing in empty classrooms and in front of my cat and by reading a lot about the correlation between social media and mental health issues,” Wilkinson said. “Everyone had interesting and unique speech topics, and everyone brought their A-game.”
Hall School Director Dr. Robbyn Taylor believes that the speech tournament signals an important message across campus about the power of speech.
“Communication radiates through all of our classes in the Hall School,” Taylor said. “It is important in every aspect of people’s lives, and the speech tournament is a great way to show students the practical use of classroom instruction.”
Other finalists included Davis Watts, Karla Thomas and Ridge Pierce, and special guest T-Roy helped award trophies alongside event coordinators Melissa Voynich and Dr. Ava Tabb.
