Lewis and Clark Student Wins Norton Speaker’s Contest

GODFREY – Lewis and Clark Community College Sophomore Sarah Wieneke has recently been named one of the winners of the 2024-2025 Norton Speaker’s Contest.

The contest recognizes exceptional, original nonfiction speeches that are given by undergraduate students in a two or four-year college or university.

Wieneke’s winning speech, submitted in June 2025, was titled “Visit Chattanooga Tennessee.”

It focused on family-friendly activities in Chattanooga and was inspired by her time spent in the area.

“I was inspired to write it because I wanted my speech to be about something fun and lighthearted,” Wieneke said. “I had been to Chattanooga the previous year and really loved the beauty of the Smoky Mountains and the friendly atmosphere of the city.”

Public speaking was not something Wieneke was always confident in, but she quickly found a passion for it.

“I had started the speech class in January with the feeling that I would probably hate public speaking and not be very good at it,” Wieneke said. “However, I quickly found that it is really fun.”

Mumba Mumba, Wieneke’s speech professor, felt she would be the ideal student for such a contest because of her hunger to learn and polish her craft.

“Sarah is a hard-working student, and she yearns to succeed,” Mumba said. “She took my feedback well and worked on making her speech even stronger.”

For Wieneke, winning the contest helped her prove to herself that she could not only participate in a contest like this, but be successful.

“When I started public speaking, I was very nervous about it and wasn’t sure if I could do it,” Wieneke said. “It feels very fulfilling to know that I can overcome my fears.”

Wieneke will receive a cash prize of $1,000 for winning the contest.

The speech was submitted June 2025 and was notified about this month. recognized as the winner from a two-year college.

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