The MJC Speech & Debate team showcased exceptional talent at the Phi Rho Pi national championship in Reno, NV from April 1-6, 2024. The tournament featured 50 schools from across the nation. MJC students excelled across various categories, earning recognition for their hard work. The team's achievements serve as a testament to Modesto Junior College’s commitment to academic excellence and student success.

• MJC: BRONZE DEBATE SWEEPSTAKES (WHEELER DIVISION)

• Tristan Ceja earned Bronze medals in Extemporaneous Speaking, IPDA Debate, and Parliamentary Debate.

• Mason Crump earned a Bronze medal in IPDA Debate.

• Eve Dowdell earned a Silver in Persuasive Speaking and Bronze medal in Informative Speaking.

• Kayla Roslan earned a Gold in IPDA Debate and a Bronze medal in Parliamentary Debate.

Eve Dowdell was recognized with the Region 2 Warren-Dahlin Fellowship Award. This is awarded to students who best exemplify the spirit of competition as voted on by schools in their Region.

Maeg Domingo, Ethan Jennings, and Jesus Manso put forth remarkable effort in Prose, Dramatic Interpretation, Extemporaneous Speaking, Impromptu Speaking, and Debate. Their enthusiasm and dedication exemplify the true spirit of intellectual engagement and teamwork.

Kayla Roslan and Tristan Ceja earned Bronze in Parliamentary Debate as a team. Roslan also took Bronze in IPDA Debate.

The squad competed in the CCCFA State Championship March 13-17, 2024 in Concord, CA. The MJC team earned a 4th Place Sweepstakes award in the small school division.

The MJC Speech & Debate team had a full weekend of competition at the Las Positas Talk Hawk tournament. Kayla Roslan took Bronze in IPDA Debate while Even Dowdell took 1st in Persuasive Speaking and 3rd in Informative Speaking. MJC also had several new team members trying out Impromptu and SPAR Debate for the first time!

 Eve Dowdell competed in the Earl Wells Virtual Speakeasy on December 3, 2023. Dowdell took 1st place in Informative Speaking with her speech about exciting new nanotechnology that destroys PFAs (known as "forever chemicals") in water. She also earned 2nd Place in Persuasive Speaking with her speech about reforming the use of solitary confinement in prison. Dowdell's achievements led to MJC winning the 2nd Place Sweepstakes award in the two-year division.

Eve Dowdell took 1st Place in Persuasive Speaking during the OATS #3 tournament, where she competed against speakers from colleges and universities around the country.

Maeg Domingo took Top Novice in Dramatic Interpretation dueing the OATS #2 tournament. Maeg's performance explores the process of grieving through the eyes of an astronaut on a mission to Mars.

Maeg Domingo and Eve Dowdell competed in the Mustang Invitational on November 4, 2023 at San Joaquin Delta College. Dowdell took 3rd Place in Open Persuasive Speaking. Domingo took 3rd Place in Open Dramatic Interpretation (and Top Novice).

MJC students competed at the Paul Winters Invitational on November 5, 2023 at University of the Pacific. Maeg Domingo (left) performed in Dramatic Interpretation, Tristan Ceja (right) competed in IPDA Debate, and Eve Dowdell (center) presented in Persuasive Speaking. Dowdell took 1st Place in Open Persuasive Speaking. Thanks to the hard work of the students, MJC also won the 3rd Place Sweepstakes award in the Small School Division.

Chad and Kayla Roslan took 3rd Place in Duo Interpretation -- and were also the Top Novice performers with their excerpt from Pixar's film, "Elemental."

Eve Dowdell took 3rd Place in Persuasive Speaking with her presentation about the need to reform solitary confinement in prisons.

Ghost Eliason, 3rd in novice Dramatic Interpretation

Dominic Torres, 5th in novice Extemporaneous and 9th in novice IPDA

MJC Speech & Debate team members are national award-winners! The team travelled to Washington D.C. to represent the college at the national Phi Rho Pi tournament from April 10-15, 2023. Team members competed against students from 54 other community colleges from around the country. 

Results: Tristan Ceja earned Bronze in IPDA Debate. Kylie Duncan earned Bronze in Prose Interpretation and Persuasive Speaking. Cyndle Hillis earned Bronze in Impromptu Speaking. Brandon Reis earned Bronze in IPDA Debate and Impromptu Speaking. Ceja and Hillis also won won the Parliamentary Debate Bossard-Twohy Fellowship Award (see below). Congratulations to all of our NorCal colleagues and students--way to represent the region on the national stage! 

Tristan Ceja and Cyndle Hillis were given the Parliamentary Debate Bossard-Twohy Fellowship Award. This is an award where competitors rank their opponents based on who exhibits the finest qualities in Parliamentary Debate. Earning this award is not about win-loss records, and instead celebrates other traits that are key to success: camaraderie, intellect, and enthusiasm. 

RESULTS

MJC: 1st Place Sweepstakes Award

Tristan Ceja: 5th Place Impromptu.

Eve Dowdell: 1st Communication Analysis, 1st Persuasive.

Kylie Duncan: 2nd Persuasive; 3rd Prose; 4th Impromptu.

Cyndle Hillis: 1st Impromptu; 2nd Triathlon; 3rd Declamation; Bronze IPDA Debate; 5th Extemporaneous. 

Kayla Roslan: Gold in Novice IPDA; 1st Novice Impromptu.

Natalie Stanhope: 2nd Novice Impromptu; 3rd Informative (and Top Novice); 4th Persuasive.

The MJC Speech & Debate team traveled to the California Community College Forensics Association State Championship in Woodland Hills, CA from March 8-12, 2023. 

MJC students competed in IPDA Debate, Parliamentary Debate, Extemporaneous Speaking, Impromptu Speaking, Communication Analysis, Persuasive, and Prose. Collectively, the MJC squad earned enough points to take the 6th Place Limited Entry award at the State Championship.

Kylie Duncan took a Silver award in Impromptu. This is an event where speakers receive a random prompt and have only two minutes to prepare a substantive five minute speech. 

In IPDA Debate, Tristan Ceja took Bronze in an elimination round about whether raising the minimum wage would do more harm than good. 

MJC students competed in the sixth Online Asynchronous Tournament of the season. Kylie Duncan won 3rd Place in Open Prose Interpretation. Eve Dowdell took 5th Place in Open Persuasive Speaking. Tristan Ceja earned Top Novice in Extemporaneous Speaking.

The MJC Speech and Debate team traveled to Diablo Valley College from February 17-19, 2023 to compete in the Northern California Forensics Association Championship. MJC team members competed in IPDA Debate, Impromptu, Extemporaneous, Persuasive, Informative, Communication Analysis, and Prose Interpretation.

Results: In Platform Speaking, Kylie Duncan took 1st Place in Persuasive, becoming the top Persuasive Speaker in the Northern California region. Eve Dowdell took 3rd Place in Persuasive. Natalie Stanhope earned a Finalist award in Informative. In IPDA Debate, Brandon Reis took Gold and a 3rd Place Speaker's award. This reflects consistently high "speaker points," which are calculated separately from a debater's win-loss record. Tristan Ceja and Cyndle Hillis both won Bronze in IPDA Debate. In Impromptu, Ceja took 4th Place.

The MJC Speech & Debate team headed to Las Positas College from February 3-5 for the Talk Hawk Invitational. MJC students Tristan Ceja, Kylie Duncan, Jackeline Gandara, Cyndle Hillis, Brandon Reis, Jacob Stockburger, and Dominic Torres competed in IPDA Debate,  Impromptu Speaking, Prose Interpretation, and Persuasive Speaking over the weekend. 

Results: Kylie Duncan took 1st Place in Open Persuasive Speaking. Tristan Ceja took Gold in IPDA Debate, 3rd Place in Novice Impromptu, and 5th Place in SPAR Debate. Jackeline Gandara took Silver in IPDA debate and 2nd Place in SPAR Debate. Cyndle Hillis took 4th Place in SPAR Debate.

The MJC Speech & Debate team attended the Paul Winters Invitational at the University of the Pacific on November 6, 2022.

MJC Students Eve Dowdell, Kylie Duncan, Dean Zayed, and Natalie Aguila Stanhope competed at the tournament. Dowdell and Duncan made it to the final round of Persuasive Speaking, with Dowdell taking 1st Place and Duncan taking 3rd Place. 

The team competed at the Mustang Invitational, hosted by San Joaquin Delta College on November 4, 2022.

Team members Kylie Duncan, Eve Dowdell, and Dean Zayed participated in Persuasive and Impromptu Speaking. Zayed was recognized with a Finalist award in Novice Persuasive speaking. Duncan and Dowdell both made it into the Final round of Open Persuasive speaking. Duncan took 3rd Place while Dowdell took 1st Place. Together, the team earned MJC a 3rd Place Sweepstakes award.

Speech & Debate team members Eve Dowdell (upper left), Dean Zayed (upper right), Brandon Reis (lower left), and Kylie Duncan (lower right) participated in the Online Asynchronous Oats (OATS) tournament beginning October 24th. The speakers submitted videos of their competitive events, including speeches that advocated for ADA accommodations in drive-throughs; affordable college; housing as a human right; and protections for "kid-fluencers" on social media. 

Dowdell took 1st Place Persuasive speaker with her speech advocating for ADA accommodations in fast-food drive-throughs. Dowdell was the only community college student in a round stacked with powerhouse universities. 

The MJC Speech & Debate team traveled to the University of Nevada, Reno for the Biggest Little City Classic tournament on October 15, 2022.

Eve Dowdell (left) and Kylie Duncan (right) talked their way into final rounds. Dowdell took 3rd in Persuasive Speaking while Duncan took 5th in Persuasive Speaking and 3rd in Impromptu Speaking.

The Phi Rho Pi 2022 National Tournament was held in the historic city of St. Louis, MO.

From Left: MJC students Christina Peterson, Kylie Duncan, and Alexis Rangel.