Bill Olkowski and Dr. Vicki Madaus Knapp
Daemen College faculty member Dr. Vicki Madaus Knapp and student Bill Olkowski, members of the college’s Rhetorical Roar Toastmasters Club, earned top honors at an area Toastmasters International Spring Speech Contest hosted March 11 on campus. This marks the fourth consecutive time Daemen participants have won first place at this level of the organization’s speech contest.
The college’s winning members will continue on to compete against winners from four other Buffalo Niagara area Toastmasters contests at a competition being hosted by the Buffalo Psychiatric Center’s Toastmasters chapter at 6:15 p.m. April 6 in the Butler Rehabilitation Center Auditorium.
“The Toastmasters Speech Contest is a wonderful opportunity for our members to showcase and improve their public speaking skills,” said Pam Gorman, president of the Rhetorical Roar Toastmasters Club and publications assistant at Daemen. “We are proud of both our winners and honored to have our members once again represent our organization at this higher level of competition.”
Madaus Knapp, assistant professor of education, won for her impromptu speech on Western New York’s windy weather. She resides in East Amherst.
In the International Speech Contest category, student veteran Olkowski won for his speech, “I Am Not Alone,” which addressed his service in the military.
A Snyder resident, he is majoring in accounting.