UT Tyler Students Earn “Speak Off” Scholarships
UT Tyler health sciences major Piper Manning of Tyler placed first in the university’s inaugural Speak Off contest and received a scholarship in the amount of $400.
TYLER, Texas (November 3, 2025) – Three students at The University of Texas at Tyler earned scholarships for their presentations in the inaugural “Speak Off” contest, hosted by the UT Tyler Department of Communication. The contest was designed to help UT Tyler undergraduates polish their presentation skills and earn scholarships, provided through the generosity of Don and Nora Donnelly of Tyler.
“Our first “Speak Off” contest was a big success with a wide variety of majors,” said Dr. Brent Yergensen, UT Tyler professor and department chair. “We congratulate the winners and hope all of the participants gained valuable feedback.”
Tyler community members as well as UT Tyler staff and communication faculty served as judges. Participants shared personal stories, ideas or stories they created with the topic, “The Biggest Surprise.”
UT Tyler computer engineering major Ayden Haun of Forney (center) placed second in the university’s inaugural Speak Off contest and received a scholarship in the amount of $250. Haun is standing with Nora and Don Donnelly of Tyler.
UT Tyler student winners are listed by hometown with major, place and scholarship awarded. FORNEY – Ayden Haun, computer engineering, second, $250.
KARNACK – Akilah Brasher, education, third, $150.
TYLER – Piper Manning, health sciences, first, $400.
“The competitors took turns in a timed, judged evening event that gave way to smiles and confidence as they worked to conquer their fears of public speaking. By that measure they were all winners,” said Don Donnelly.
The UT Tyler Department of Communication offers degrees in mass communication and communication studies, each tailored to students’ specific interests. To learn more, visit uttyler.edu.
UT Tyler education major Akilah Brasher of Karnack placed third in the university’s inaugural Speak Off contest and received a scholarship in the amount of $150.
With a mission to improve educational and health care outcomes for East Texas and beyond, UT Tyler offers more than 90 undergraduate and graduate programs to more than 11,500 students. Through its alignment with UT Tyler Health Science Center and UT Health East Texas, UT Tyler has unified these entities to serve Texas with quality education, cutting-edge research and excellent patient care. Classified by Carnegie as a doctoral research institution and by U.S. News & World Report as a national university, UT Tyler has campuses in Tyler, Longview, Palestine and Houston.
