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(Rockland County, NY) April 4, 2023 – Rockland Community College is proud to announce that one of their students, Maya Lauture, won the top speaker award at the recent debate tournament held on Sunday, April 2. The tournament featured a heated competition between Rockland, Bergen Community College, and Dominican University, with the latter emerging as the tournament’s champion, sporting a 3-0 win-loss record.
Maya and her partner 3lizabeth Taub represented Rockland Community College and earned second place based on their impressive win-loss record.
The next exciting tournament for the RCC Speech & Debate Team will be at Dominican University on April 16, 2023! This talented team has been putting in the hard work and dedication needed to excel in the upcoming competition.
“Maya had her sights on winning the top speaker trophy after being third place speaker at Dominican in the fall,” said Speech & Debate Team coach Andrew Jacobs. “She put in the time, and it paid off.”
Jacobs is a professor of Communication/Speech Studies at RCC, which aims to equip students with a solid foundation in oral communication skills. The program includes courses on active listening, effective presentation skills, small group communication, and confident public speaking.
“I am very proud of our Speech & Debate Team for representing our institution with distinction in their recent tournament. Their dedication and hard work are a testament to the quality of education and opportunities that we provide our students,” said Dr. Katie Lynch, the RCC Officer in Charge of Academic Affairs. “This achievement speaks to RCC’s commitment to teaching critical thinking and strong communication skills. Kudos to Professor Jacobs and team!”
The RCC Communication/Speech Studies program is not only valuable for those seeking careers in speech and language therapy, speech communication education, law, business, or journalism, but it also provides students with a strong liberal arts foundation that will prepare them for transfer to a four-year institution. Students can choose a discipline in performance, speech pathology, communication theory, or journalism, and gain a competitive edge in their chosen field.
ABOUT ROCKLAND COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Rockland Community College (RCC), located in Suffern New York, provides purpose driven educational opportunities in a supportive, affordable, and accessible environment, empowering individuals to positively transform themselves and their communities. RCC welcomes students from diverse backgrounds who appreciate small class sizes and personal attention from a distinguished, award-winning faculty that includes Fulbright scholars and SUNY Distinguished Professors. Many graduates go on to top universities to further their education on their own or through RCCs institutional collaborations. RCC is also proud to provide career training and professional development to adult learners looking to change careers or upgrade their skills through a variety of programs and educational opportunities including workforce training, certifications, and microcredentials. Many of the programs are developed with employers in the community in high demand industry areas to enable graduates to move into a new career upon graduation. More information can be found at sunyrockland.edu.
JOIN THE RCC DEBATE TEAM
If you’re interested in becoming a part of this dynamic debate team, join their meetings on Mondays via Zoom from 4:30-5:30 pm and Thursdays from 12:30-1:15 pm in room 2111. Don’t miss your chance to be a part of this thrilling experience – sign up for team emails and join RCC’s Speech & Debate Team today!
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