Student Speaker Contest of 2026

Left to right Speaker #2, 3, 1.

On February 12th we had our annual Student Speaker Contest.

This year the Lions of California are proud to sponsor the

89th annual Student Speakers Contest.

The challenging topic for the 2026 contest was:

“Mental Health: Overcoming Barriers to Well-Being”

Three students from UPREP entered the contest all wonderful inspiring young ladies. Not many of us were that eager to speak in front of a room full of strangers in our teen years. Even now the task can be daunting. We our impressed with their desire to participate and the way they can articulate their thoughts, especially on a topic of mental health.

Speaker #1  (Sydney) Talked about self-image and how others perceive us. And the mental health of eating disorders. Such as anorexia and bulimia. The shaming of how one should look. And how we need a healthy diet to function. (Junior)

Speaker #2 (Maya) She referred to journaling and how she was able to improve her thought process. How social media has become a public health crisis. To help her get past this she introduced her 3 C’s. They are compassion, confidence, and community. (Junior)

Speaker #3 (Ember Braun) Told us about her experience with 2 girls telling her to take her life. Wow. That is inexcusable. This is not some inner city community with violence lurking around every corner, this is Shasta county. In order to cope with anxiety disorder she told us about needing balance. You need 3 wins everyday. She referred to them as physical, mental, and spiritual. (Sophomore)

Note: Ember Braun entered the contest last year as a freshman and won. She won again this year. Her pose of delivery was very impressive. She wants to be a lawyer, no doubt she will be really good at it.

Thank you Lion Joe for always bringing this event to our club.

Thank you Lion Norm for the photo.

More information can be found here.