Tag Archives: SpeechTrek

Speech Trek Contest Success

14th Annual Speech Trek Contest Celebrates Its Winner By Ann Arneill

On Saturday, Feb. 20, 2021, the Speech Trek Committee held its first-ever virtual contest via Zoom with great success.  A full audience listened to 12 students from six Elk Grove Unified School District high schools speak on the topic:  “Has social media helped or hindered the breaking down of barriers for women and girls?”

First-place winner was Saher Haidari, a junior at Pleasant Grove High School, receiving $500.

Saher Haidari

Second-place winner, Katelyn Evans, a junior from Franklin High School, received $300.  Third-place winner was Annmarie Fan, a junior from Franklin High School, who received $100. Also from Pleasant Grove High School, Maren DeMille, received honorable mention and was awarded $75.

The Sacramento Branch’s winning speaker is entered in the AAUW CA Speech Trek Semi-Finals.   If Saher Haidari makes it into the top three, she will be invited to compete in the Finals for $1,500.  Saher will also be presenting her speech at the May branch meeting—something to look forward to because she is a very dynamic speaker.

Dr. Virginia Kidd, communications professor emeritus at CSUS, along with Mark Hoffman and Gary Pettigrew, both Toastmaster Club members, judged the event.  Speech Trek Committee member Kathleen Deaver served as timekeeper for the contest.  Thanks to Joe Kelett for technical assistance and branch member Karen Burley for her help.

Speech Trek Contest

Speech Trek Contest By Ann Arneill, Speech Trek Co-Director

The 14th Annual Speech Trek contest will be held on Feb. 20, 2021 from 9 a.m. to noon via Zoom.  The link will be sent a few days before the event to those who have registered through EventBrite.  You can still register to attend by going to this link:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/speech-trek-contest-tickets-133929453601

Students from the Elk Grove Unified High School District will be participating.  The topic this year is, “Has social media helped or hindered the breaking down of barriers for women and girls?” Students are very excited and engaged by it.  They will be delivering 5- to 6-minute speeches for cash prizes.  We hope to see you there!

Women at the top…why not?

Women At The Top

On Saturday, February 22, 2014 the AAUW Sacramento Annual Speech Trek Contest will be held at the Valley Hi Laguna North Library Community Room. The branch membership and the public are invited to attend this mission-based event, which begins at 9:30 when we ask all audience members to be in their seats.  The speakers are students from the Elk Grove Unified School District high schools, grades 9-12.

Students will have a 5-6 minute speech in which to examine the above question about circumstances that still limit so few women from leading our major corporations and public enterprises. After 50 years of the Women’s Movement, there are only 14% of private and governmental organizations led by women.  Yet, one billion women are expected to enter the global workplace in the next decade!  What creates a barrier to women leading these enterprises and becoming the decision-makers that effect so many? And how do young women break through the opportunity ceiling with the personal decisions they make while still in high school?  How do today’s young men create tomorrow’s solutions to breaking down these barriers?  When our society uses 100% of available human resources, can we create a dynamic future for everyone?

We know that all of our futures rest in the hands of today’s young women and men. Come listen to them talk about their ideas, opinions, and dreams.  It’s not just an outreach program event; it’s an opportunity to hear how breaking down barriers for women and girls happens; these speakers will tell us how do we get to the future from here.

For more information, please contact Liz Jordan, lizjord@msn.com, (916) 354-9608; Shari Beck, gsbeck@surewest.net, (9160451-5143.