Old Mission Rotary Conducts Club Round of Four Way Speech Contest

 

Shakespeare asked “What’s in a name?”  Speaker A has a foreign and very different five-syllable name and noted that not all names are treated equally in our society. 

Names are our labels and conjure up stereotypes in people’s minds. This can affect the quality of a person’s life if they do not have common names.  Challenges arise at school and at work. Conversely, names can be a source of great source of pride of family and cultural identity. Speaker A noted that the Four Way Test can be applied to the idea that individuals should not be judged by images conjured up by a strange or different name.

Mokhinabonu (silent k) was born in Uzbeckistan and has been in the US for 12 years. She enjoys reading and math. She attends Patrick Henry High School and hopes to study business at UC Santa Barbara or the University of San Diego.

What do you want to be when you grow up?  Speaker B’s little brother wants to be the basketball great LeBron James. She used this example as her little brother has autism and struggles with daily life. Unfortunately much of society, including school's teams and clubs, do not know how to integrate children with learning disabilities. The Four Way Test clearly leads to the conclusion that we must create an equitable environment for people with autism and Speaker B implored us to not forget to be “Fair to All Concerned.”

Rekik attends Scripps Ranch High School and plays volleyball and enjoys exploring San Diego and travelling. She love science and hopes to study nueroscience at either UCLA or UCSD.

Speaker C discussed the phenomenon of  the “white lie.”  Human nature allows us to use white lies to make other people feel better and wriggle out of embarrassing situations. The main question that Speaker C asked was “Can people handle the truth?” White lies allow temporary relief from confrontation but do not create a foundation of trust. In the final analysis,  a white lie is still a lie. Speaker C noted that if we feel pressured to use white lies with our friends then maybe we need new friends!  The Four Way Test directs us to simply tell the truth. All of us benefit when others are honest and direct with us and do not tell us what we want to hear.

Ananely attends Gompers Preparatory Academy charter school. She enjoys working out at her backyard gym.  At school, she loves math and hopes to attend UC Berkeley, Stanford or UCLA.

During the pandemic, Speaker D observed that the obstacle of racism was worse than ever in American society and must be challenged. Racial division manifests itself in many ways such as education, health and wealth. Speaker D noted that the only way to be heard is to demand change by taking such actions as protesting, petitioning, and using social media. She noted that racial division is not simply a black problem. The Four Way Test demands equality for all. and Speaker D is determined to make change happen.

 
Jayla attends the Bishop’s School in La Jolla and loves math. In her spare time she is a dancer and loves Hip Hop and Contemporary Dance. At school she enjoys math and hopes to study Mechanical Engineering at Stanford, UC Irvine, or UCLA.

Club judges  were Rotarians Lee Kaminetz, Michelle Malin, Don Krupp and President Gary Collins. Eric Benink served as moderator and time keeper. This year was very difficult to rank the speeches as they were all were so well prepared and powerful.  The winners were: