What Does it Take to Earn $330,000 in Scholarships To Attend Harvard and Alabama?
Watch This Short Film and Find Out!
SpeakFirst's 39 Graduates to Date Have Earned More Than $4.9 Million in College Scholarships
SpeakFirst students spent more than 300 hours each in practice during the 2016-17 academic year.
Our two graduating seniors' hard work paid off, with both students earning full scholarships to attend college.
Kimora Bell (Ramsay High School) earned over $61,500 in scholarships and will be attending UA; Delanya Storey (JCIB) graduated with over $269,000 in scholarships and will be attending Harvard. Our ten graduating classes (39 students) have earned more than
$4.9 million in college scholarships.
SpeakFirst enriches the academic experience of talented and motivated students from Birmingham-area schools through participation in an "all-star" debate initiative. This highly collaborative initiative includes one-on-one tutoring and mentoring, college admissions and financial aid guidance, standardized test preparation, and summer internships.
SpeakFirst Juniors Prepare for National Championships in June
On March 3rd and 4th, 2017, SpeakFirst Juniors Brooklin Ballard and Shae Thomas competed in a field of 48 teams in the Deep South District Tournament in Montgomery. The Deep South District Tournament is the most competitive Alabama tournament of the year. Only the top four teams earn an invitation to Nationals.
Over the course of two days, Brooklin and Shae competed in seven rounds of debate against teams from across the region, achieving a record of 6 wins and 1 loss. Through their hard work, Brooklin and Shae placed second overall and earned a spot in the National Tournament! For the second time in our team's thirteen year history, SpeakFirst will be competing in the National Tournament.
Brooklin and Shae are Juniors at Ramsay High School and have been SpeakFirst debaters since they were in eighth grade. The National Tournament will be held in Birmingham later this month.
Impact America, an AmeriCorps Program, is housed and supported by the Center for Ethics & Social Responsibility at The University of Alabama. Additional office space is provided by UAB and Maynard, Cooper & Gale, PC.
