Travelers Rest, South Carolina - Alpha Phi Alpha Greenville Foundation was proud to sponsor the 2014 annual Joseph Vaughn Oratorical Competition at the Trone Student Center at Furman University. Ten Greenville High School Students gave wonderful speeches in front of a crowd of parents and supporters.  The annual event concluded the series of events for the 2014 Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration which is a collaboration between Furman University and the Alpha Greenville Foundation. "The speeches were great examples of the true spirit of our celebration" said Mike Chatman, Chair of the event, "We are very proud of the students here. This is the kind of effort the Foundation and Furman envisioned when we started the event."

The purpose of the competition is to encourage oratorical skills among students in the spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King and Mr. Joseph Vaughn, who was the first African-American student to attend Furman University. Winners of the contest were selected by a committee of judges after delivering their 4-7 minutes long speeches. Judging criteria was based on the content, delivery, and language of the speeches.  Prizes were provided by the Foundation through the generous contributions of our sponsors.

"Our judges had an extremely difficult task because all of the speeches were very good. The top speeches weren't separated by very much at all. That is a great testament to the talents we have in the Upstate", said Dr. Idella Glen, Assistant Dean of Diversity and Inclusion at Furman University. Dr. Glen was an instrumental part of the competition and served as co-Chair of the event. Judges also gave individual feedback to each participants to help them improve their oratorical skills.