The Orange Coast College Speech, Debate, and Theater team won the coveted Gold Sweepstakes award at 2025 Phi Rho Pi National Tournament in Norfolk, Virginia. Competing against over fifty schools for only two Gold Sweepstakes Awards, the OCC team solidified their status among the very top of the nation.
A highlight of the tournament was the remarkable Interpreters Theater performance titled “Burn.” Team members Lily Hall, Bailey Clements, and Grace Choo delivered an engaging 25-minute, highly choreographed performance addressing the alarming trend of attacks on public libraries and efforts to ban books. After a semifinal showdown with a team that had previously defeated them in the preliminaries, “Burn” made a comeback and defeated the number one seed in the finals, winning the favor of all three judges. This performance was part of a trio of shows presented by OCC, which also included “Bootstraps,” highlighting our unhealthy relationship with work, and “Enemies of Mankind,” focused on pirates. All three shows will be showcased in the annual public performance at OCC on Wednesday, April 23, from 5 to 6:30 p.m. in the Science Hall. Donations will be accepted at the door.
In addition to the team’ success, several individual performances stood out, with three students finishing in the top five overall speakers in the nation our of over 300 competitors. Campbell Gorlinski, in his third and final year competing for the team, secured a top five finish for the third consecutive year, a unique and rare accomplishment. He and his debate partner also claimed a gold medal, making Campbell the first debater to ever win three gold medals in debate in a row.
Second-year competitor Gohan Huynh earned a top five spot overall and achieved an impressive “picket fence” in the stand-up comedy style speaking event, a rare feat that indicates receiving first-place rank in every round of competition. This included three preliminary rounds, a semifinal round, and a final round, involving nine judges. Gohan’s accomplishment marks the first time a competitor from any school, across any of the 11 events has earned a “picket fence” since 2017.
Additionally, first-year competitor Lily Hall earned a spot in the top five overall, distinguishing herself as a renaissance competitor by medaling in three different speech categories: limited preparation (extemporaneous and impromptu), interpretation of literature (acting with advocacy), and platform speaking (written and memorized informative speech.) She was one of only two competitors at the tournament to earn such a feat. “Doing all of that as a first-year competitor is something I’ve never seen in 15 years in forensics,” said Sean Connor, Director of Individual Events.
“These students committed themselves to a goal: engage in critical thought, speak truth to power, and be the best in the nation. I couldn’t be prouder of their commitment to growing their voice” said Head Coach Shauhin Davari. Professor Davari was asked to be this year's Keynote Speaker at the opening banquet because he’s currently on CBS’ Survivor. He reminded the students “Finding your voice, that is the goal of this whole experience. The medals will get thrown away, but the memories are forever.”
“Having third-year leaders Nataly Arzate and Chelsey Barrerra made all the difference,” said Assistant Coach Christopher DeSurra. “It was like having two extra coaches. They lead by example, found their own success, and also found time to come in and coach others. They even trained the second years in how to do their jobs so that this team finds success easier next year.”
Second-year student Christian Delgado finished the tournament with two golds and a silver, exemplifying his resilience as he has been living independently since age 17 while balancing two jobs. Against all odds, he won the Dramatic Interpretation (10-minute monologue) at this year’s nationals and also secured a gold in Impromptu Speaking, and a silver in IPDA.
In total, the team brought home 31 medals including 15 golds, 3 silvers, and 13 bronzes. Eight OCC students returned from their 10 days in Norfolk, VA with gold medals. Only the top 10% are awarded a gold medal, the top 15% are awarded a silver medal, and the top 20% are awarded a bronze.
List of Medals Awarded
Gold Medals:
- Campbell Gorlinski in Parliamentary Team Debate, Extemporaneous, and Impromptu Speaking
- Gohan Huynh in IPDA Individual Debate, Speech to Entertain (picket fence), and Informative Speaking.
- Lily Hall in Informative Speaking, and Readers Theater
- Mia Rindaldi in Parliamentary Debate and Persuasive Speaking
- Christian Delgado in Impromptu Speaking and Dramatic Interpretation
- Grace Choo in Dramatic Interpretation and Readers Theater
- Bailey Clements in Readers Theater
Silver Medals:
- Christian Delgado in IPDA Individual Debate
- Aeriel Jackson in Program Oral Interpretation (Lots of literature around one theme.)
- Nataly Arzate in Dramatic Interpretation (Monologues)
Bronze Medals:
- Aerial Jackson Poetry Interpretation and Duo Interpretation (Scene work)
- Dejah Jones Poetry Interpretation and Duo Interpretation
- Nataly Arzate Poetry Interpretation
- Bailey Clements Speech to Entertain, Informative Speaking
- Lily Hall Extemporaneous Speaking, Impromptu Speaking
- Grace Choo Persuasive Speaking
- Cal Veitch Communication Analysis, Persuasive Speaking