Although many people are terrified by the possibility of speaking up in front of an unknown audience, one organization on campus is training BMC students to roll up their sleeves and conquer this fear. Bryn Mawr & Haverford Bi-Co Speech and Debate is a young organization on campus that offers exciting opportunities for anyone interested in public speaking, debating, or acting.
The organization was started last year, and was exclusive only to debate. This year, team members are encouraged to participate in many different types of speech and drama events like extemperaneous speaking, dramatic interpretation, after-dinner speaking, etc. In addition, the team is also focusing on preparing members for American Parliamentary Debate, a form of extensive debate that involves analyzing cases that are relevant to any topic in academia or current events.
Currently, Daniela Lopez (BMC 19′) and Magdalena Yeakey (HC 19′) serve as the co-presidents of this growing organization. They have been holding weekly practices in order to prepare new members for upcoming competitions in New York and Philadelphia. During these practices, members of the club are prepared to tackle any topic with no prior preparation at the practices. So far, members have debated topics such as beauty pageants, drug-care clinics, and single-gender education.
The next competition will be held at Westchester University near Philadelphia during fall break. After that, the team will focus on competing at University of Pennslyvania and Fordham University during the first semester. Bryn Mawr and Haverford College will pair up to host a mock debate tournament on October 28.
Currently, the team is still encouraging any people who are interested to join the team. Public speaking can be terrifying, but not when you have friendly coaches and team members from Bryn Mawr and Haverford to cheer you on. The organization is definitely preparing Mawrtyrs to step up and conquer their fear of public speaking!
Lead Image Credit: Columbus High School