Pryor wins $500 Nall Speak Off scholarship

Many who have done it know that it takes more than a little courage to stand in front of an audience of people that you’ve never met before and perform a speech fluently; especially if you’re the final six competitors in the 2011 Nall Speak Off.

Round one of the Speak Off was held in Morgan Hall on the Washburn University campus, where 12 students performed in front of select judges. Then, six were eliminated as the competition moved to the Henderson Learning Center.

After each performing a six to eight minute speech, the competitors anxiously rejoined the crowd in the hope of winning the first place title and a prize worth $500 in scholarship money.

Sixth place was awarded to Brett Ash, who delivered a speech on the importance of being knowledable of your credit score.

Fifth place was awarded to Caitlin Edigar, who gave a speech over the importance and individuality of being homeschooled, rather than being taught in a public school.

Fourth place was awarded to Garrett McGraw, who, with the aid of a Power Point presentation, delivered a speech on the beauty of Ireland.

Third place was awarded to Jared Moeder, who gave an interactive speech on the importance of learning from failure.

Second place was awarded to Delaney Fish, who delivered a historical speech over women who contributed to the ethics of computer science.

First place and the $500 Nall Scholarship were awarded to Jeanette Pryor, who captivated the judges with her speech over the true story of Erin Gruwell and her fight for a classroom free of gang violence and racism.