Montclair resident, Oak Knoll junior qualifies for two national speech tournaments

Ana Bambrick-Santoyo ‘17, a junior at Oak Knoll School of the Holy Child, has qualified for the National Speech and Debate Association’s National Championship, as well as the National Individual Events Tournament of Champions.

The NSDA Championship will take place in Salt Lake City, Utah, from June 12 to 17, while the National Individual Events TOC will occur May 13 to 15 in Denver, Colorado. The NSDA tournament, which has been held since 1931, features more than 3,300 high school competitors a year, according to the association’s website.

During spring break, Bambrick-Santoyo, of Montclair, participated in a qualifier event for the NSDA Championship, where she excelled in dramatic interpretation and original oratory. In June, she will compete in dramatic interpretation due to NSDA regulations requiring each participant to compete in one category.

Bambrick-Santoyo was also recently ranked No. 21 in the nation for dramatic interpretation by 3P Speech, a private coaching organization that connects debate and speech competitors and coaches. The ranking comes on the heels of her impressive performance at the Harvard Forensics Invitational last month, where she made it to the semifinals and finished eighth out of a field that included 250 competitors.