Caroline Brummer will advance to the next level of the competition.
Plant City High School sophomore Caroline Brummer just added some hard-earned money to her college fund.
On Saturday, April 23, Brummer competed in the 2016 North Florida District Optimist Oratorical Contest in Gainesville. She took first place and received a $2,500 dollar scholarship for college. The scholarship was awarded to the top female and male district participant.
Brummer competed in the North Florida competition after earning first place for her gender at the local, zone and southwest region competitions.
Brummer was selected to represent the North Florida District at St. Louis University in St. Louis, Missouri, at the Optimist Oratorical World Championships. She will compete for a $5,000 dollar scholarship at the Southeast Region Competition on June 23. The winners from each of the eight regional competitions will then compete alongside the winner of the Saint Louis University's Global Region for the World Championship Scholarship. Scholarships awarded will range from $5,000 dollars to $15,000 dollars.
The theme of this year's competition is, "How My Best Brings Out the Best in Others." Speeches must be under five minutes.
“We thought that Caroline had a great chance to win the district finals as she improved at each level of the competition," Plant City Oratorical Contest Chairman Dave Robbins said. “Caroline stood out among her peers and did a great job.”
The Optimist Club of Plant City has been involved with local youth through the Oratorical Contest for over 40 years. First conducted by Optimist International in 1928, this is the second most popular Optimist International program, with over 2,000 clubs participating each year.
Contact Emily Topper at etopper@plantcityobserver.com.
