Six undergraduate students vied for awards in the fall 2015 public speaking contest hosted by the Program for Learning and Community Engagement at Texas A&M University-Texarkana. This was the first year for the campus-wide competition.
With the theme of “Economic Opportunity,” students tackled topics such as the gender pay gap, economic inequality, and closing the opportunity gap.
Winners included Della Baker, a freshman Criminal Justice major from Mabank, Texas, first place; Sarahi Figueroa, a freshman Biology major from Irving, Texas, second place; and Caitlyn Smith, a freshman General Studies major from Texarkana, Texas, third place. Other contestants included James Cameron a freshman Computer Science major from Texarkana, Texas; Zack Curry, a freshman Business Administration major from Buda, Texas; and Rory Costigan a freshman Mass Communication major from Richardson, Texas.
A spring 2016 public speaking contest is planned.
PLACE is a faculty-led program designed to create a community of learners comprising A&M-Texarkana students, faculty, staff and the community at large.
“Faculty members annually choose a common theme around which to organize a lecture series and other activities that provide focal points for learning and discussion,” said Dr. Michael Perri, associate professor of history and chair of the PLACE Committee.
PLACE’s goal is to expose its community of learners to a diversity of ideas from a variety of disciplines and backgrounds. This year’s theme is “Economic Opportunity.”
“As a learning institution, we think it’s vital to provide opportunities to engage our campus and community in issues important to us locally, regionally, nationally and globally,” said Dr. Corrine Hinton, assistant professor of English.
For more information, contact Dr. Michael Perri at mperri@tamut.edu or Dr. Corrine Hinton at Corrine.Hinton@tamut.edu.
Photo Identification
Winners of the fall 2015 Program for Learning and Community Engagement public speaking contest at Texas A&M University-Texarkana are (front row from left) Della Baker, first place; Sarahi Figueroa, second place; and Caitlyn Smith, third place. Other contestants included (back row from left) James Cameron, Zack Curry and Rory Costigan.
