Mary Losiak

I started with the Legacy Club the first year that it existed in 2007. My favorite categories of competition were Duo Interpretation, and Illustrated Oratory. My closest friend in my life right now is someone that I met through competing in NCFCA, and I am so thankful for all the other great families that I have gotten to know through the league. Today I'm studying Business Management at The King's College, and living in Manhattan.

What did you do directly after high school?

• I took a gap year to spend some time volunteering with different organizations like Classical Conversations, TeenPact, and MissionPoland.

What are you currently doing?

• I am in my Junior year of college in New York City. This will be my third year attending The King's College as a Business Administration Major with a Minor in Theology. I am currently employed at the school as an Administrative Assistant to the Student Development team, and I've been elected President of the House of Queen Elizabeth I.

Tell us about any awards, interesting adventures, etc. during or since you graduated high school.

• Before moving onto campus for my Junior year, I lived off campus in Bayridge, Brooklyn for two years. The apartment was small and really out of the way, but I loved getting to live there on my own the first year, and then with my dear friend from ICC Rebecca Au the second year.

What is your favorite memory from your time in Legacy and the NCFCA? 

• Getting to volunteer at Classical Conversations Practicums was my favorite. It was great to travel, and experience the thrills of victory, but nothing was more meaningful than encouraging children to pursue the platform.

How has doing speech and debate impacted who you are and what you are doing today?

• I avoided Speech and Debate in college because I was ready to try something new. But, even though I wasn't competing as a speaker/debater, I was constantly using the skills I trained in through NCFCA to do well in my new classes and activities.

What is your message for those currently involved in speech and debate?

• I un-learned a few things that I picked up in high school speech and debate when I got to college. I had to work on losing the "orator's voice". You have to accept that some of the things we think of as perfectly normal in NCFCA world, are not good ways to communicate.

What is your message for those considering adding speech and debate to their life? 

• Even if you don't want to get into the competitive college world of speech and debate, doing it in high school is really worth it. If you don't ever write another platform speech again in your life, doing it in high school is worth it. The attention to detail in the critique rounds, the work ethic during the school year, and the critical thinking are all going to change you for the better if you have the right attitude. Do things well and wholeheartedly, and you will reap rewards for the rest of your life.