Competitive Yappers: Inside MavForensics

On stage at Strauss Performing Arts Center, Keith Allen and Yasmin Monroy had a story to tell in a typical fashion from MavForensics, the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO)’s competitive speech team.

Portraying a grandmother and grandson in a Mexican household, the students brought to life a narrative about their close bond and multiple generations living under one roof. The grandmother passed away, leaving the grandson without the love and guidance he had relied on, but it wasn’t a moment of grief.

Allen, portraying the grandson, explained how Mexican culture uses death as an opportunity to celebrate life.

“Our culture uses death to enjoy family together,” said Allen, a senior political science major. “Because at the end of the day, we're all family and here to help each other.”

Their performance was deeply personal to the students, who tapped into their Mexican heritage and deep connection to family. It was one of the many memorable performances from the team at their annual campus showcase in March before traveling to the University of North Carolina at Charlotte for a competition, resulting in students being named among the best in the nation.

Speech With Dramatic Effect

Forensics goes beyond the typical speech and debate formats that many may visualize. Missing are the note cards and podiums, with participants spitting out factoids. Instead, it’s a more robust form of public speaking and performative arts where storytelling meets advocacy to spark a dialogue.

Forensics is a competitive public speaking activity in which students think of societal issues within a specific community. Categories in the activity vary, including informative and persuasive forms of speech, oral interpretations of literature and prose, and impromptu.

Students see MavForensics as an important outlet for sharing their passions outside the classroom. For Abigail Faris, a senior studying political science and international studies, the team has given her a voice in a digital world where dialogue is clunky, and many can feel drowned out by the sheer volume of people contributing to a discussion.

“I'm not given a platform to speak my messages other than social media and my friends,” she said. “MavForensics lets me share a point with a large, captive audience, practically, letting me see how they respond and understanding what’s important to them.”

From Zoom to the Auditorium

No one can argue that the 2024-2025 MavForensics team members are adaptable.

Many were on a team in high school and were accustomed to competing, but the COVID-19 pandemic forced the team to learn how to conduct a performance virtually. Limited space around a camera meant limited body movement and non-verbal communication — a critical element to forensics — and the lack of an audience meant that students couldn’t gauge their audience’s reaction. Transitioning back to in-person formats forced students to re-learn the process all over again.

Beyond getting used to seeing judges’ reactions in real time, the students had to be accustomed to staying in competition mode beyond their performances when socializing with their peers.

“At in-person competitions again, we had to learn how to never turn off,” said Faris. "We're always on our game 100% of the time from 4 A.M. to 10 P.M., which could be mentally exhausting.”

Developing these soft skills often helps prepare students for their academic and professional careers. Being part of a team also helps students bolster their social skills.

“You learn how to research, write, and use effective ways to make an argument,” Schmidt said. But you also learn how to be a better person, teammate, and a more well-rounded individual.”

“I feel a lot more confident presenting in class or writing research papers,” Faris added.

Many students are from smaller towns in Nebraska and have used MavForensics to become accustomed to life at a metropolitan university.

Keith Allen, a native of Lexington, Nebraska, is glad that MavForensics was the first student organization he joined.

For a freshman, it's scary coming to a new place, to a much larger city, and on your own,” said Allen. "Having an organization where people are helping and always wanting the best for you, you get those confidence skills and slowly start taking them elsewhere to your classes or your job. MavForensics helped me realize that college isn't too scary if you put yourself out there.”

Success in Competition

With competitions from its latest season completed, MavForensics gained national recognition after Allen and Faris earned spots on a National All-American Team most recently at the American Forensics Association National Speech Tournament. Meanwhile, Allen was also a semifinalist in Dramatic Interpretation, Faris was a quarterfinalist in Dramatic Interpretation, and Schmidt was a finalist in the category of persuasion — placing 5^th in the nation.

Amanda VonGoodrich , the team’s coach and a lecturer in the UNO School of Communication, cites that an extraordinary group of seniors led this team to success and sees a bright future.

“They are leaders on the team, the classroom and their student orgs,” she said. “It’s common for a faculty member to tell me, ‘I have a forensics student, and they’re the best in our class.’”

Joining the team is open to all majors and even to those who don't have competitive public speaking experience levels. It's an adventure that these students cite as the best of their time at UNO.

“MavForensics has been my home away from home,” said Schmidt. "I’m thankful to have these teammates and coaches. They've all definitely contributed to the person I am today.”