Student Experience

Helping students find their voices

Whether you’re stressed about your next class presentation, upcoming interview, or simply struggle with public speaking, the University of Virginia Speaking Center is the place to go.

Funded by the Jefferson Trust, the recently re-established resource offers free consultations to help students, regardless of major, practice and develop their public speaking skills.

When College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences third-year student Stephanie Juliano realized she wanted help with her media studies class presentation, she booked an appointment. As a transfer student who previously took courses online, Juliano sought support with transitioning to presenting in person. The Speaking Center helped her improve her arguments and overall presentations.

“I realized how important it was to communicate with people and to communicate the right way,” Juliano said. “I would recommend students take advantage of the resources that we have here, and there are so many that students don’t know about.”

Left, portrait of Jolina Dong, center, Thomas Davies, and right, Stephanie Juliano

From using the UVA Speaking Center for support to providing it, College of Arts & Sciences students, from left, Jolina Dong, Thomas Davies and Stephanie Juliano share an appreciation for the center’s resources. (Contributed photos)

The re-establishment of the Speaking Center has been an ongoing project, and Jolina Dong, a third-year student in the College, has been at the forefront. The center was founded by 2022 UVA alumnus Chris Obolensky, now a student at the New York University School of Law, with help from drama professor Cady Gary. Over the years, however, it had become less-utilized.

Dong discovered the center when searching for resources to prepare for an audition. Now the center’s executive director, she has worked since her second year to revive it.

“When I was younger, I was an English as a Second Language student. And while I’m a lot more confident now and I can speak a lot more fluently, I still get anxious when speaking in front of a crowd, just because I remember how it is not being able to speak,” she said. “My student consultants are deeply involved, and many have faced and overcome their own public speaking fears. Our goal is simply to help others find that same confidence.”

One consultant is fourth-year Echols and Jefferson scholar Thomas Davies, who was inspired by one of his professors to become a better public speaker.

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“When I was younger, I really hated public speaking. I had a bit of a speech impediment and stumbled across my words a lot,” he said. “In high school, I found myself thrown into public speaking scenarios and found that sharing with an audience was something that I really enjoyed. It feels rewarding when you have the ability to share an experience with an audience.”

His effort has paid off. Davies is a member of the University Judiciary Committee, the Undergraduate Moot Court team and the Jefferson Literary and Debating Society, among others. “It shows I’ve gone a long way,” he said.

Davies said the spoken word has become a much less emphasized form of communication. “We have less spoken assignments and more are written now,” he said. “Even phone calls are no longer popular. We text each other.”

Juliano said public speaking ties into every aspect of our daily lives.

“I started off teaching clients one-on-one, but just picked up teaching small groups,” Juliano said of her role as a personal trainer at UVA Rec. “I realized how important it is to master public speaking, not always just for yourself, but also for who you’re delivering your knowledge and expertise to.”

It’s easy to book an appointment with the Speaking Center, and doing so could ease one of life’s biggest fears, Dong said.

“Dying is people’s No. 2 fear,” she said. “No. 1 is public speaking.”