FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 3, 2016
Contact: Carol Branson
Director of Communications and Marketing
E-mail: [email protected] | Desk: 812.348.7377
McKenzie receives first place in IUPUC’s
2016 Spring SpeakEasy
Columbus, IN—Daryn McKenzie, of Columbus,
received first place in the 2016 Spring SpeakEasy
at Indiana University-Purdue University
Columbus (IUPUC). The event, hosted by the
Division of Liberal Arts and the Communication
Studies Program, was held on Friday, April 29 and
featured seven student speakers from the
Fundamentals of Speech Communication course.
The seven students, their hometown, and topics
of speech are:
 Andrea Capunay | Columbus
Domestic violence
 Hella Tefera | Columbus
Ethiopia
 Daryn Mckenzie | Columbus
Effect of breast cancer awareness
on survivors
 Maclyn Greenlee | Hope
Eva Kor: Holocaust survivor
 Sophia Janic | Columbus
Mission to Mars
 Keirsten Taylor | Columbus
The brain
 Michael Spoor | Greenwood
Relay for Life
SHOWN IN PHOTO:
Matt Rothrock, Maclyn Greenlee (2nd Place),
Daryn McKenzie (1st Place), Hella Tefera (3rd
Place), and Dr. Anna Carmon
The event is an opportunity for students to refine their public speaking skills with mentorship
from faculty members. This year’s faculty members were Mr. Jim Byrd, Dr. Meredith NevilleShepard, Dr. Ryan Neville-Shepard, and Mr. Kevin Welsh.
Dr. Anna Carmon, program director for communication studies, says, “The SpeakEasy is a
fantastic opportunity for students to not only showcase their public speaking skills, but also to
have the opportunity to speak in front of a large audience. Most employers say one of the key
skills they are looking for in new graduates are communication skills, namely the ability to
effectively communicate ideas in a public setting.”
Page 1
Jaclyn Hill Vanosdol, a 2015 graduate of the communications studies program, gave the keynote
address for the event. She is a leasing consultant at Riverstone Apartments in Columbus, IN
where she works primarily with international residents. While at IUPUC, she won the 2015
Communication Student of the Year award, was an OSR grant winner, and a research presenter.
She also traveled abroad to London in her junior year.
The event featured four judges, two faculty judges - Dr. Darrin Carr, Dr. Terry Dibble and two
community judges - Nathan Walsh (IUPUC Alum) and Jalene Hahn.
The first, second, and third place finishers received a scholarship for the fall 2016 semester
in the amounts of $200, $150, and $100.
For more information about the communication studies program at IUPUC visit
www.iupuc.edu.
###
Page 2