Erin Sheehan, a freshman from Omaha, Nebraska, has taken the speech world by storm.
Sheehan started speech competitions her freshman year of highschool at Millard North after her middle school english teacher suggested the activity. Sheehan said, “I had no idea what I signed up for.” In highschool, she competed in three events: extemporary, oratory and informative.
Sheehan wasn’t sure she wanted to continue competing in college, but at the end of her senior year she just wasn’t ready to stop. She said, “UNL has an amazing program and we are consistently ranked in the top ten. We have an amazing coaching staff. It was an awesome fit.”
Since joining the Univeristy of Nebraska-Lincoln speech team Sheehan has competed in new events such as impromptu and communication analysis. Sheehan qualified for nationals in Portland, Oregon at Lewis and Clark University. At nationals, the team placed 7th overall. She personally made quarterfinals in impromptu and recieved fifth in communication analysis.
All of her successes have not come easily. Sheehan works hard behind the scences to prepare for competitions. She said, “I pretty much practice every day. Whether that is running an event for a coach between classes, working independently, or practicing with my teammates.”
Speech has shaped Sheehan’s life, and she continues to use the skills she has learned everyday.
Sheehan said, “I love speech because of all the amazing people it has connected me with not only across Nebraska, but across the nation. Some of my best friends live miles away, and I would never have met them without speech.”