The Persuasive Power of a Sound Argument: Spring 2026 Change My Mind Public Speaking Contest

The students who participated in the Spring 2026 Change My Mind Public Speaking Contest did just that; they changed minds and educated audience members about topics that ranged from how debilitating it is for the human brain to rely on generative Artificial Intelligence to how ineffective and burdensome group projects are in college classrooms.

The semi-annual contest features students from a cross-section of Farmingdale’s public speaking courses. They come together every semester to demonstrate their oratorical and argumentative skills to a panel of judges and an audience of curious students, faculty members, and friends. This year, the judges were the Associate Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences Dr. Marya Howell-Carter, the Chair of the English and Humanities Department Dr. Mary Caulfield, and Farmingdale’s Vice President of Institutional Advancement, Kim Nyoni.

“The judges really have a tough job to do because all the students come so well prepared and explore such interesting and important topics,” said Professor Lori Brannigan-Wisniewski, who teaches public speaking and spearheaded Change My Mind several years ago with the help of English Professor Carol Siegel.

This year’s contestants included Jared Aronowitz, Jayden Cesar, Paola Fuentes, Nelson Moreno, Precious Akahara, and Logan Accuri. The event took place on the first floor of Knapp Hall in the University Club, as it does every semester. The winners of this year’s contest were: in first place, Jayden Cesar, who spoke about the importance of controlling one’s social media consumption and not becoming a victim of YouTube’s algorithms; in second place, Paola Fuentes, who enlightened the crowd about the nefarious “pink tax”on items targeting female consumers and the long-term financial ramifications for women; and in third place, Precious Akahara, who spoke on the importance of avoiding the temptations of overusing skin care products.

If you enjoy learning from your peers and considering topics from various angles, make sure you attend the next Change My Mind contest, which will be held in the Fall 2026 semester. The only price of admission is an open mind. See you there next time.