UIC Speech and Debate team wins a national title

When most people hear the word forensics, they envision lab coats, crime scenes and true-crime podcasts. But for forensics students, the word has another meaning — it’s the art of public speech and debate.

The UIC Forensics Program/Speech and Debate Team is only eight years old, but on March 24, they achieved their highest accolade yet, winning the 2024 National Speech Championship team title.

The National Speech Championship is one of seven national speech tournaments. What separates this tournament from the rest is a two-person limit per event. In other words, this tournament allows smaller schools to compete on an even playing field with larger programs, balancing the size of the team with the impact on the overall team sweepstakes. This distinction makes the tournament a game of quality over quantity.

This year, the UIC Speech and Debate team, led by Director of Forensics Vance Pierce, also organized and hosted the first national tournament on UIC’s campus.

The UIC Speech and Debate National Speech Championship Team consisted of Team President Lavontae Morrow, a senior communication student; Vice President Isabel Kapustka, a junior biology and economics student; Secretary Genesis Abad, a junior biology and psychology student; Darrow Richmond, a senior communication student; Serena Ahmad, a junior neuroscience student; and Yarely Galeno, a sophomore sociology student.

The team’s diligent work in their respective events earned them several first-place wins and semi-final spots. Morrow took home first-place wins in dramatic interpretation, poetry interpretation, prose interpretation and program oral interpretation, plus second place in informative speaking and fourth place in persuasive speaking.

Kaputska snagged semi-final spots in extemporaneous speaking and persuasive speaking, as well as third place in impromptu speaking and fifth place in informative speaking. 

Abad won second place in communication analysis, and Ahmad came in fourth in that category. Abad made it to the semi-final round for after-dinner speaking, and Ahmad placed third. Ahmad also won second place in impromptu speaking and third place in extemporaneous speaking.

Richmond made it to the semi-final round in program oral interpretation and won second place in the poetry category, third place in prose interpretation and fourth place in dramatic interpretation.

Galeno won fifth place with Richmond in the duo interpretation category. Richmond and Morrow came in third in that category.

Collectively the team won the Non-scholarship Program Division, as well as the overall Team Sweepstakes.

As the team celebrates their championship, they are eager to prepare for upcoming national tournaments and continue their victories.

“Thank you alumni and supporters for everything that you’ve given us. We wouldn’t be here today without your hard work, dedication, passion, patience, love and support,” the team said.