This exercise helps students feel comfortable speaking in front of an audience and gives them a chance to practice being articulate, concise, and meaningful while delivering a powerful message. Being able to give effective presentations will no doubt be a beneficial skill for these whole leaders to have in their future careers.
By LORRAINE U. MARTINELLE
Nichols College Associate Dean for Business Luanne Westerling shared the results of the 7th annual Elevator Speech Competition, which was held Tuesday evening, April 2, 2019, in Daniels Auditorium. Twenty students put themselves outside their comfort zones and put their communication skills to the test before a panel of judges.
The judges offering feedback on the students’ presentation, tone of voice, style, speech content, and body language were: Mackenzie Walsh ’12, Kim McCarthy ’92, Fran Carlo ’90, and Nichols College President Susan West Engelkemeyer, Ph.D.
Campus community turnout was excellent; Daniels Auditorium was nearly at capacity.
The four top winners were:
- Benjamin Carbone, first place, $500 prize, junior
- Katherine Quezada, second place, $400 prize, sophomore
- Noah Villella, third place, $300 prize, sophomore
- Adam Phillips, honorable mention, sophomore
Carbone said, “I’m beyond grateful for this experience in the Elevator Competition and to be on stage with other amazing human beings, showcasing what makes us us.”
This year’s participants were:
- Benjamin Carbone – junior, management and economics major; from Brooklyn, Conn.
- Christine Collins – first-year student, human resource management; from Newton, Mass.
- Justin Cox – senior, sport management major; from Capitol Heights, Maryland
- Alex DeVre – first-year student, accounting major; from Merrimack, N.H.
- Tyler Dunn – first-year student, economics major; from Mount Vernon, Maine
- Jason Godown – first-year student, history major; from Niantic, Conn.
- Nathan Healy – senior, accounting and finance major; from Charlton, Mass.
- Sarah Hemphill – senior, general business major; from Millbury, Mass.
- Thomas Long – first-year student, accounting major; from Abington, Mass.
- Melanie McAleer – sophomore, finance major; from Hanson, Mass.
- Kyle McDonald – sophomore, management major; from Williston, Vermont
- Liam Meagher – junior, history and marketing communication major; from Rutland, Mass.
- Rudyver Ogando Perez – sophomore, accounting major; from Worcester, Mass.
- Paul Parks – senior, management major; from Cumberland, R.I.
- Adam Phillips – sophomore, sport management major; from Brookfield, Mass.
- Katherine Quezada – sophomore, international business major; from Dudley, Mass.
- Kevin Radavich – junior, finance major; from East Hampton, Conn.
- Desiree Rivera – junior, criminal justice major; from Willimantic, Conn.
- Lily Robson – sophomore, general business major; from South Dartmouth, Mass.
- Karan Saini – senior, business communication major; from Fairfax, Vermont
- Noah Villella – sophomore, economics major; from Berlin, Conn.
Congratulations to all the participating students!
A special round of applause goes to the event’s emcee, junior Lynn Thibault; the judges, and to all those who came to support their fellow Bison.
