Students Bring the Heat at Spring 2026 Public Speaking Festival

CSN’s Spring 2026 Public Speaking Festival brought a full day of competition, nervous energy and seriously impressive student talent as COM 101 students went head-to-head in front of judges, classmates and a packed audience Friday.

Throughout the day, students competed in multiple rounds of informative and persuasive speeches, tackling topics that ranged from the Homophile Movement to advocacy and survivor support through the Elizabeth Smart Foundation. Some speeches were emotional. Others were educational. A few had the crowd fully locked in from the first sentence.

By the time the final round rolled around Friday evening, the energy in the room had shifted from classroom presentation to full-on competition mode.

Students paced hallways rehearsing lines one last time, friends and faculty filled seats early and finalists waited for their turn under the pressure of a live audience and celebrity judging panel that included Congresswoman Dina Titus, Congresswoman Susie Lee, CSN President Dr. Stacy Klippenstein and Channel 13 anchor Anjali Patel.

The judges offered encouragement throughout the evening, reminding students that public speaking is a skill that carries far beyond the classroom. Students also received congratulatory video messages from Senators Catherine Cortez Masto and Jacky Rosen.

When the final scores came in, this year’s winners were:

Informative Speech

• First place: Jerick Jay Alisoso, Professor Alex Simpson
• Second place: Alex Lenz, Professor Chelsi Walls
• Third place: Luis Talavera, Professor Jodie Mandel

Persuasive Speech

• First place: Crystal Justice, Professor Nita Jones
• Second place: Swewandi Vithanage, Professor Owen Pillion
• Third place: Laura Abbott, Professor Owen Pillion

Finalists received trophies, bookstore gift cards and CSN swag bags, but more than anything, the event gave students a chance to step up to the mic, trust their voice and see what they were capable of in front of a crowd.