The heartbeat of the Speaking Center is the student staff. Through their roles as
consultants, senior consultants and program assistants, these students provide campus-wide
support to help peers prepare for, practice and polish their public speaking. Learn
more about the Speaking Center student team here!
The Speaking Center recruits and trains selected undergraduate students to serve as
peer consultants in the center every fall and spring semester. Consultants hold regular
office hours staffing the Speaking Center and take part in a weekly seminar class
on public speaking, communication skills development, facilitation and consulting.
Speaking Center consultants receive academic internship credit for their time commitment.
APPLICATIONS FOR FALL 2023 SPEAKING CENTER CONSULTANTS ARE NOW CLOSED. If you are
interested in applying to be a consultant for the Spring 2024 semester, check back
during the second half of the fall 2023 semester.
Details and a link to the application are posted on the Internship Opportunity webpage.
We welcome inquiries about the position! Talk with a current consultant or send an
email if you have any questions.
Senior consultants
Senior Consultants are undergraduates who serve in a variety of roles that incorporate
oral communication skills development. They support first-semester consultants and
help staff the Speaking Center while also providing outreach to the campus community.
When available, senior consultants facilitate workshops about oral communication and
presentation skills to a variety of audiences including student organizations, student
leader groups, classrooms and others.
The Speaking Center senior consultants have all served at least one semester as a
consultant and have successfully completed the Speaking Center consultant seminar.
Program assistants
Students who have successfully completed both the consultant and senior consultant
roles have the opportunity to serve as Speaking Center program assistants. These students
support senior consultants and also facilitate a variety of outreach and programming
initiatives to assist in the Speaking Center's support of students' public speaking
success.
Meet the fall 2023 Speaking Center student staff team!
Major(s)/minor(s): Latin American and Caribbean Area Studies with a minor in Spanish
Hometown: Bronx, New York
Why are you working as a consultant? My goal is to create a safe space where peers can express their concerns regarding
public speaking/communication in order to improve - while having someone who understands
those challenges and who can offer constructive feedback and tactics without creating
an overwhelming or discouraging environment.
Why should students visit the Speaking Center? The technology at the Speaking Center allows you to re-watch your presentation as
much as possible to tweak but also notice improvement!
Public speaking advice: Have a water bottle nearby when presenting in case you are parched or need a second
to recollect your thoughts that you may have forgotten while presenting.
Aedan Sennett, program assistant
Aedan Sennett
Program assistant
Year: Senior
Major(s)/minor(s): Philosophy, Politics and Law with a minor in Education
Hometown: New Paltz, New York
Why are you working as program assistant? I loved my experience as a Speaking Center consultant and senior consultant.
Why should students visit the Speaking Center? Students should visit the Speaking Center to gain confidence and experience speaking
publicly.
Public speaking advice: No one knows what you know, except for you; stay confident!
Alexandra Weldon, consultantAlexandra Weldon
Consultant
Year: Junior
Major(s)/minor(s): Accounting
Hometown: Long Island, New York
Why are you working as a consultant? Public speaking can be a nerve-wracking experience, but it is essential for academic
and professional success. I want to act as source of support for students looking
to improve their confidence in speaking and presenting.
Why should students visit the Speaking Center? The Speaking Center is such a great resource for improving your presentation and public
speaking skills. It is a judgment-free space for students to bring up questions about
their presentations, practice speeches, and receive insightful feedback.
Public speaking advice: Know your topic inside and out! Not only will it improve your speaking confidence,
but it will help you when it comes time to answer questions from the audience. Also,
make sure to practice presenting before it’s time for the real-deal!
Anna Ashery, consultant
Anna Ashery
Consultant
Year: Junior
Major(s)/minors: Psychology
Hometown: Albany, New York
Why are you working as a consultant? I want to learn the necessary skills to help improve my own communication/presentation
skills while also being able to work with students and other peers.
Why should students visit the Speaking Center? Students should come to the Speaking Center to learn the best ways they can be the
most effective presenter, in a comfortable environment.
Public speaking advice: Always present with great confidence even if it is not fully there. As long as you
appear confident, your audience will be more engaged and you will come across as more
prepared and knowledgeable.
Ashley Garro, consultant
Ashley Garro
Consultant
Year: Junior
Major(s)/minor(s): Integrative Neuroscience with a minor in Speech and Hearing Science
Hometown: Wantagh, New York
Why are you working as a consultant? I want to work as a Speaking Center Consultant because it seems like a great experience
on campus, working with new people, and it is such a welcoming environment.
Why should students visit the Speaking Center? Students should visit the Speaking Center to prepare for an upcoming presentation,
or if they just want feedback on how they can improve their skills!
Public speaking advice: My tip for presentation advice is to focus on keeping your audience engaged as much
as possible!
Brynn Nelsen, program assistant
Brynn Nelsen
Program assistant
Year: Junior
Major(s)/minor(s): Human Development with minors in History and Education
Hometown: Brooklyn, New York
Why are you working as a program assistant? I think the Speaking Center is an amazing resource, and I want to help it thrive for
as long as I can!
Why should students visit the Speaking Center? The Speaking Center helps you grow your confidence with speaking in front of people,
professionally. Everyone can use practice with that!
Public speaking advice: Let your personality shine through - don't pretend to be something you are not!
Devon Nicholson, program assistant
Devon Nicholson
Program assistant
Year: Senior
Major(s)/minor(s): Business Administration
Hometown: Queens, New York
Why are you working as a program assistant? I am eager to return to the Speaking Center as a program assistant to assist in the
promotion of the center to help reach as many students as possible.
Why should students visit the Speaking Center? The Speaking Center is such a useful campus resource for presentation tips and overall
speaking skills that more students should be encouraged to utilize.
Public speaking advice: As long as you have confidence, the rest will fall into place!
Emily Mocyk, program assistant
Emily Mocyk
Program assistant
Year: Junior
Major(s)/minor(s): P1 Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) student
Hometown: Jordan, New York
Why are you working as a program assistant? I want to get more student and faculty recognition for this amazing campus resource.
This position is also an amazing opportunity to meet new people and stay involved
on main campus!
Why should students visit the Speaking Center? So many people, including myself, struggle with public speaking anxiety. Students
should come to the Speaking Center to help ease their nerves before an upcoming presentation/speech,
or practice and improve general speaking skills!
Public speaking advice: Fun fact of the day: People will not notice if you look at their foreheads instead
of making direct eye contact. If you're too nervous to make direct eye contact with
your audience, check out their foreheads!
Esha Sharma, consultant
Esha Sharma
Consultant
Year: Senior
Major(s)/minor(s): Financial Economics with a minor in Digital and Data Studies
Hometown: Jaipur, India
Why are you working as a consultant? I want to support Binghamton students in becoming an effective public speaker since
it is an essential skill to have in building a professional career. I also look forward
to enhancing my own speaking and consulting skills by becoming a part of the consultant
team!
Why should students visit the Speaking Center? It is a great space for students who want to work on developing their public speaking
skills. We have all had the same experience of being nervous before any public speaking
event, so we understand you and want to make sure you leave with a positive experience
and more confidence!
Public speaking advice: Know your material! If you review you it properly, you would be way more confident
in presenting it in front of a wider audience. It also helps in speaking more clearly
and not being all over the place if you are familiar with your material.
Major(s)/minor(s): Systems Science and Industrial Engineering
Hometown: Elmira, New York
Why are you working as a senior consultant? Senior Consultants get to promote the Speaking Center to the student body directly,
bringing greater awareness about the Center's existence and benefits!
Why should students visit the Speaking Center? The Speaking Center helps make presenting far less daunting - it gives you confidence
in your presentation and helps you improve your delivery, giving you skills you can
use in the rest of your academic career and beyond!
Public speaking advice: Finding a way to have fun with your presentation makes it far less intimidating, and
far more enjoyable!
Jade (Yuqi) Zhu, consultant
Jade (Yuqi) Zhu
Consultant
Year: Senior
Major(s)/minor(s): Psychology with a minor in Latin American and Caribbean Area Studies
Hometown: Zhengzhou, China
Why are you working as a consultant? My career goal is to become a substance misuse counselor, and I believe this internship
will help me improve the necessary communication skills for that role. Additionally,
I want to assist fellow students in preparing for their presentations since I understand
how challenging it can be at times.
Why should students visit the Speaking Center? Most people feel nervous when they have to give a presentation, and having a practice
run with peers can really boost your confidence about your content.
Public speaking advice: Keep in mind that making mistakes while nervous is normal, and if it happens, it's
not the end of the world!
Jared Richman, senior consultant
Jared Richman
Senior consultant
Year: Junior
Major(s)/minor(s): Biology
Hometown: Plainview, New York
Why are you working as a senior consultant? I enjoyed working as a consultant last semester and wanted to keep spreading the word
on a larger scale about the benefits of the Speaking Center.
Why should students visit the Speaking Center? Everybody struggles with public speaking in some capacity, so the Speaking Center
is there to help alleviate those fears and build new strengths.
Public speaking advice: If you maintain eye contact with the audience, your body language will adjust, and
you will appear more confident.
Jordan Walsh, program assistant
Jordan Walsh
Program assistant
Year: Junior
Major(s)/minor(s): Linguistics with a minor in Speech and Hearing Sciences
Hometown: Poughkeepsie, New York
Why are you working as a program assistant? I loved my time here as a consultant and senior consultant, so I am really excited
to keep working as a program assistant! I am looking forward to working with students,
collaborating with other campus organizations, and expanding our amazing resources.
Why should students visit the Speaking Center? Students should visit the Speaking Center because it is a comfortable environment
to work on a skill that many people find nerve-wracking. The feedback is really helpful
and can make a big difference when preparing for a presentation.
Public speaking advice: Strategically use pauses as an opportunity for you to collect your thoughts and for
the audience to catch up with you and reflect on your ideas.
Keiko Waters, senior consultant
Keiko Waters
Senior consultant
Year: Senior
Major(s)/minor(s): Philosophy, Politics and Law and Psychology double major
Hometown: Putnam Valley, New York
Why are you working as a senior consultant? Working at the Speaking Center taught me so much about public speaking and how to
help others. I am excited to come back as a senior consultant to continue to help
students with their oral communication skills, and promote the Speaking Center on
campus!
Why should students visit the Speaking Center? The Speaking Center is a comfortable and friendly environment for students to work
on public speaking in any capacity. We know public speaking can be intimidating for
some, and we are here to help you in any way we can!
Public speaking advice: Having confidence and believing in yourself is half the battle!
Madelyn Hoskins, program assistant
Madelyn Hoskins
Program assistant
Year: Junior
Major(s)/minor(s): Biology with a minor in Forensic Health
Hometown: Endwell, New York
Why are you working as a program assistant? I wanted to be a program assistant because I overall love the Speaking Center environment.
I also want to further support and bring new ideas to the Speaking Center!
Why should students visit the Speaking Center? Students should visit the Speaking Center because it is a safe and comfortable environment
for them to further develop their public speaking skills!
Public speaking advice: Turn your fears of public speaking into confidence!
Michelle Boateng, consultant
Michelle Boateng
Consultant
Year: Junior
Major(s)/Minor(s): Human Development
Hometown: Ghana but live in the Bronx, New York
Why are you working as a consultant? I am working as a consultant to connect with others and improve in my speaking skills.
Why should students visit the Speaking Center? Students should visit if they need help with a presentation or need some writing tips
for presenting.
Public speaking advice: Connecting with the audience - making the audience feel included in the speech can
keep the group engaged and help them connect with the information you are presenting.
Make sure you are making eye contact with the audience and ask questions to encourage
input from them.
Mouctar Bah, consultant
Mouctar Bah
Consultant
Year: Senior
Major(s)/minor(s): Computer Engineering
Hometown: Bronx, New York
Why are you working as a consultant? To improve my public speaking, feedback and consulting skills while helping other
students to ease their anxiety and stress when publicly speaking or presenting.
Why should students visit the Speaking Center? The Speaking Center is here to provide you with personalized feedback about your presentations,
so you can better your public speaking skills. If you feel you're struggling with
public speaking, never hesitate to stop by.
Public speaking advice: Learn the ability to engage and connect with the audience.
Olivia Taverni, consultant
Olivia Taverni
Consultant
Year: Sophomore
Major(s)/minor(s): Art History, with a minor in Studio Arts (Drawing)
Hometown: Queens, New York
Why are you working as a consultant? I want to help others feel confident about their public speaking skills.
Why should students visit the Speaking Center? Students should visit the Speaking Center for useful advice on public speaking and
presentions from students just like you!
Public speaking advice: Eye contact is crucial to keep an audience engaged while you speak to them.
Rianna Garlic, consultantRianna Garlic
Consultant
Year: Junior
Major(s)/minor(s): Integrative Neuroscience with a minor in Forensic Health
Hometown: Syracuse, New York
Why are you working as a consultant? I want to build my confidence in public speaking. I also want to help create a safe
and welcoming environment for students to come and practice their public speaking.
Why should students visit the Speaking Center? Students should visit the Speaking Center because public speaking can be very scary
and nerve-wracking. The Speaking Center allows for students to practice their presentations
in a welcoming and comfortable environment. Students are able to build their confidence
and obtain feedback on their public speaking from students who understand what they
are going through.
Public speaking advice: My best advice for public speaking is to practice and thoroughly research your topic.
The more prepared you are the less nervous you will feel!
Sabbir Hossain, consultantSabbir Hossain
Consultant
Year: Senior
Major(s)/Minor(s): Classics (Latin and Ancient Greek) and Medieval/Early Modern Studies (pre-law)
Hometown: Staten Island, New York (originally from Bangladesh)
Why are you working as a consultant? As someone who needs extensive practice before presenting, I understand how nerve-wracking
and difficult it can be to successfully prepare a presentation. Therefore, as a consultant,
I would like to help guide others through this process and demystify the art of presentations.
There are aspects that an individual simply cannot notice about themselves when rehearsing
and having another person provide their perspective can be an invaluable resource.
Why should students visit the Speaking Center? At the Speaking Center, we have all the tools necessary to give constructive feedback
and consultants who have been trained to that effect— I hope many students make use
of this free resource which has been a great help to myself in the past.
Public speaking advice: I would like to impart some advice that has helped me personally become a more effective
speaker: A presentation is about your connection to the audience— rethink whether
the material on your presentation slides actually add any value to the content of
your presentation or if it is mere distraction - more often than not, opting not to
use any presentation slides at all, or using blackout slides can be more useful than
having an excess of information on-screen.
Samuel Ehrlinger, senior consultantSamuel Ehrlinger
Senior consultant
Year: Junior
Major(s)/Minor(s): History and Philosophy double major with a minor in Education
Hometown: Farmington, New York
Why are you working as a senior consultant? Public speaking is something that I have had many opportunities to improve upon. I
believe that the best way to improve is to give presentations, and that many classes
to not give opportunities to do so. The Speaking Center provides one with many opportunities
to do this. I hope to continue to assist students in improving while focusing more
of my attention to outreach and make the great services that the speaking center offers
known to more people around campus.
Why should students visit the Speaking Center? The Speaking Center provides a wonderful opportunity to get feedback on how to improve
a presentation that you have to give. Not only that, though; the Speaking Center gives
plenty of advice to improve your presentation skills at large. If you plan to go into
a career that involves presenting or communication (and all careers do to some degree),
a visit to the Speaking Center is a must.
Public speaking advice: The best advice I could give is to incorporate humor into your presentation. Humor
is a wonderful tool that can add so much to a presentation, and I find it unfortunate
it is not utilized more.
Sebastian Velasquez, consultantSebastian Velasquez
Consultant
Year: Senior
Major(s)/minor(s): Philosophy Politics and Law & Spanish Language and Literature double major with a
minor in Latin American and Caribbean Area Studies
Hometown: Wappingers Falls, New York
Why are you working as a consultant? I wanted to become a Speaking Center Consultant because I realized the importance
of communication and speaking skills in everyday life and felt I should strive to
improve my skills. This opportunity can enhance my skills while helping my peers.
Why should students visit the Speaking Center? Students should visit the Speaking Center because communication skills will be one
of the most powerful tools to become effective at whatever they dedicate themselves
to. At the Speaking Center, we help students develop their speaking skills.
Public speaking advice: Speakers captivate their audience when they treat their presentation as conversing
with each individual in the room. It will make it less overwhelming to be in front
of the group, the audience will pay more attention, and the speaker will demonstrate
a good handle on the information.
