51ĀŅĀ×

Rising second-year student Jalen Tolbert placed second in a national speech and debate competition at Illinois State University, which took place April 15-18.

ā€œTo be one of the best first year competitors in the entire country, makes me hopeful for what I can accomplish next year,ā€ Tolbert said.

Tolbert, a communication studies major in the Scripps College of Communication, placed second in Novice Prose Interpretation, which required contestants to take a piece of literature and perform it as their own interpretation. He qualified for the ā€œTrue Noviceā€ final for Prose Interpretation since it was his first year doing speech and debate.

ā€œI learned a lot about the competition, but I also learned a lot about new topics, ideas and perspectives,ā€ Tolbert said.

For his Novice Prose Interpretation, he performed a piece based off a short story by Al Letson. The story was about a black man who used the "college ID trick" every time that he got pulled over, a ā€œtrickā€ that is done regularly by minority groups. When the police officer would ask for identification and registration, he would give the officer his college ID as well.

ā€œI drove home, back to Dayton, frequently during the school year. Every time I did, I made sure that I wore OHIO merchandise, so if I was pulled over the officer knew I was a college student,ā€ Tolbert said. ā€œI found the piece of literature and it really resonated with me, so I decided to go with it.ā€

Tolbert first learned about speech and debate through his learning community leaders Jennifer Talbert and Katie Gold.

ā€œThey told me to come to a team meeting, and the rest was history,ā€ he said.

Talbert, who was also Tolbertā€™s coach, helped him throughout the process and showed him the importance of doing his best. His mentor Soren Starkey was also helpful and inspiring to him.

ā€œHe (Tolbert) had great energy and I suggested that he be a part of the Speech and Debate Team,ā€ Talbert said. ā€œThe Speech and Debate team doesnā€™t just help students be excellent speakers, it helps them along their journey at 51ĀŅĀ×.ā€

Speech and Debate coaches work one-on-one with the students to prepare for competition. They help the students perfect their performances and make travel arrangements to attend tournaments.

ā€œI believe that even though I work and assist the students, each student owns their success,ā€ Talbert said.