The Orange Coast College Speech, Debate, and Theater Team won their 18th State Championship defeating every community college in the largest state championship in the nation. The team dominated the California Community College Forensics Association State Championship, held at the Warner Center Marriott, in Woodland Hills, CA, with an impressive 290 points—outscoring the second-place team by more than 100 points. Points are earned through individual performances that contribute to the overall team total.
OCC secured gold medals in 11 different events, achieving what is known as “low-cume” victory in all but one, meaning OCC students were recognized as the best competitor in their events. There were only three events of the 14 available, where OCC didn’t take home a gold medal. Gold medals are awarded to the top 10 percent in each event.
“Our students are finding their voice, healing that voice, and then using that voice to lift themselves to the next level,” said Head Coach Shauhin Davari. “They took it to another level, and to do that in a year where I’m President of the State Organization, and I’m on TV with a national spotlight on me was a profound showing of support that meant the world to me. This victory was a statement: OCC is a force to be reckoned with.”
These remarkable results came from even more remarkable students. One such student, Nataly Arzate, nearly quit the team earlier this year to help her family. However, after her mother overcame serious health concerns, Nataly returned to the team revitalized and earned the award for Top Speaker in the state. She was joined by Mia Rinaldi, second-year student from Orange, who previously struggled with public speaking and had severe speaking anxiety until she joined the team. Through incredible hard work, she achieved the top spot in the state alongside her teammate.
Dron Nikam, a first-year exchange student from Nashik, India — a countryside town of around a thousand people — also had a standout performance. Despite English being his fourth language, he brought home a Silver medal in Speech to Entertain, an event similar to stand-up comedy, and a Bronze medal in Impromptu speaking, which requires making a speech up on the spot. “My town is going to go crazy when they see my medals,” said Dron about his success. “I get to give them hope.”
Lily Hall, a first-year student from Santa Ana, made an impressive debut at the state championship after just 3 months on the team. She accomplished a feat none of the other 236 competitors could match: winning gold in three completely different event types — Limited Preparation, Platform Speaking, and Oral Interpretation. A truce ace of all trades, she said, “My coaches saw things in me that I didn’t see. That I doubted. I’ll never doubt myself again.”
The team prepared speeches on a diverse array of topics, including the attack on public libraries, the discovery of oxygen without the requirement of sunlight, the unauthorized drug testing of pregnant people, the advancement of code switching into a code dial, how queer people experience time differently, the juxtaposition between revolution and safety, and so much more.
"This team’s diversity is its greatest strength,” said Coach Chris DeSurra. “We are Black, Middle Eastern, Indigenous, Caucasian, Asian, Latinx. We are gay, lesbian, trans, non-binary. We are home schooled, from the foster care system, incredibly young and surprisingly old. We’ve been incarcerated, impoverished, we are still struggling with food and housing insecurity. We have fought for our country, and are using the GI Bill. We have been taught to use our voices to foster compassion and empathy in others. We are Orange County.”
Full CCCFA List of Awards below.
Overall Top Speaker Awards
- Campbell Gorlinski – Top Speaker in Parliamentary Debate
- Nataly Arzate - Keeling-Fricker – Top Speaker in Interpretation Events
- Mia Rinaldi - Collins-Tabor – Top Speaker in Platform & Debate Events
- Mia Rinaldi and Nataly Arzate Tied for the Top Speaker Overall (they both registered 35 points, outscoring the other 236 competitors.)
Individual Events
Poetry Interpretation
Bronze – Nataly Arzate
Communication Analysis (Take a communicative act - and analyze it)
Silver – Cal Veitch & Mia Rinaldi
Impromptu Speaking (Here’s a quote - make up a 7 minute speech.)
Bronze - Dron Nikam
Silver – Christian Delgado
Duo Interpretation (Acting Scene work)
Silver – Aeriel Jackson & Dejah Jones
Gold (Low Cume) – Chelsey Barrera & Nataly Arzate
Persuasion
Silver – Cal Veitch
Gold (Low Cume) – Mia Rinaldi
Speech to Entertain (Stand up comedy with a message)
Bronze – Bailey Clements & Cal Veitch
Silver – Dron Nikam
Gold (Low Cume) – Gohan Huynh
Prose Interpretation (Storytelling)
Silver – Dejah Jones
Programmed Oral Interpretation (Combination of all types of literature)
Bronze – Hera Hartman
Gold (Low Cume) – Aeriel Jackson
Dramatic Interpretation (Monologuing)
Gold – Nataly Arzate
Gold (Low Cume) – Christian Delgado
Extemporaneous Speaking (Answering a current events question with 30 minutes of prep.)
Silver – Campbell Gorlinski
Gold – Lily Hall
Informative Speaking
Silver – Mia Rinaldi
Gold (Low Cume, Tie) – Bailey Clements & Lily Hall
Debate Awards
Parliamentary Team Debate
Gold – Campbell Gorlinski & Mia Rinaldi
IPDA (Individual Debate)
Bronze – Mia Rinaldi* & Gohan Huynh (*Top ranked speaker in the event through prelims)
Silver – Christian Delgado
Gold – Campbell Gorlinski
Readers Theater - (Three or more people - 25 min or less - all types of literature weaved together around one theme.)
Both of our theaters made it to the final round, and because we don’t have to compete against ourselves, both theaters are awarded a gold medal.
Gold - Burn - Lily Hall, Grace Choo, and Bailey Clements
Gold - Bootstraps - Chelsey Barrera, Cal Veitch, Nataly Arzat