Eight Moraine Valley Community College students ranked among the top performers at an invitational tournament hosted by the Moraine Valley Speech and Debate Team in October.
Javier Ramirez, of Alsip, took first place in Persuasive Speaking, second in Improv, and sixth in Speech to Entertain. He was also named the tournament’s top speaker.
Laura Galindo, of Burbank, earned first place in Speech to Entertain.
Kandyce Swain, of Blue Island, placed second in Informative Speaking.
Team captain Aaron Vinicio Lopez, of Bridgeview, earned second place in the open division of Persuasion and in Speech to Entertain.
Andrew Banazack, of Bridgeview, placed fourth in Extemporaneous Speaking.
Amin Tekroar, of Oak Lawn, took fifth place in the open division of Persuasion.
Karolina Granda, of Palos Hills, earned sixth place in Improv.
Tuana Ozbir, of Palos Hills, reached the semifinals in Impromptu Speaking.
Also participating were Aya Mustafa, of Palos Heights; Ale Zepeda-Hernandez, of Summit; and Firdavs Dovudov, of Hickory Hills.
Although these new team members did not advance in this tournament, Communications professor and Forensics director/co-coach Krista Appelquist said, “They are soon to be a real force in competition.”
She noted that the open division is for university students in their third or fourth years of competition; however, community college freshmen or sophomores who score high enough can advance into that division.
Dovudov reflected on his first tournament experience: “It was extremely competitive, but at the same time, everyone was super supportive.”
Ozbir agreed, adding, “It was apparent how much thought and planning it takes to have things go smoothly.”
The tournament was organized and overseen by Appelquist; John Nash, Communications professor and co-coach of Forensics; and Damian Samsonowicz, assistant coach and Communications instructor at Wright College. Samsonowicz was a member of the Moraine Valley Speech and Debate Team while a student.
Lopez said, “Not only did Moraine Valley do well, but at the awards ceremony, we got almost 100 people to do the ‘Cha-Cha Slide.’ This was the start of an amazing year.” Appelquist praised Lopez, saying, “Aaron knows how to balance work and fun and bring the whole community together.”
Appelquist expressed pride in everyone involved. “The tournament was a very large and elaborate event. It would have been impossible without John Nash; he was like an air traffic controller, managing scheduling and constant changes as they happened. The students also pitched in to stock the food and decorate the rooms for Halloween,” she said.
Twenty-one colleges from four states participated in the tournament.
Illinois schools included Moraine Valley, Elgin Community College, Harper College, College of Lake County, Southeastern Illinois College, Joliet Junior College, University of Illinois-Chicago, Northwestern University, McHenry County College, DePaul University, Northern Illinois University, College of DuPage, and Morton College.
Representing Missouri were Southwest Baptist University and Webster University, the overall tournament champion. Also participating were Highland Community College from Kansas and the University of Wisconsin at Whitewater.