PARAMUS, N.J. – Bergen Community College student Maycie Schmidt (pictured) has won the president’s award for best speaker at the institution’s ninth annual speech competition. Schmidt, of Rochelle Park, presented “Fair Trade,” which examined how consumers can make a difference in the developing world by purchasing sustainably grown and acquired goods. Competing against 49 students for $3,000 in scholarships sponsored by the Bergen Community College Foundation, Schmidt accepted her first place award during an April 21 ceremony. The College’s annual speech competition offers students from all academic disciplines the opportunity to develop leadership skills and communication competencies in persuasive speaking.
Based in Paramus, Bergen Community College (www.bergen.edu), a public two-year coeducational college, enrolls 15,000 students at locations in Paramus, the Philip Ciarco Jr. Learning Center in Hackensack and Bergen Community College at the Meadowlands in Lyndhurst. The College offers associate degree, certificate and continuing education programs in a variety of fields. More students graduate from Bergen than any other community college in the state.
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