Belmont University College of Law students Madeline Gilmore and Alex Schramkowski were named winners at the Appellate Advocacy Competition, a component of the National Animal Law Competitions (NALC) on March 18-19, 2023. The competition was hosted by the Brooks Institute for Animal Rights Law & Policy, in partnership with Harvard Law School, Lewis & Clark Law School and Vermont Law & Graduate School.
Eight top teams were selected to compete after the preliminary rounds where a law brief and video presentation were submitted from teams across the nation. The Belmont team was undefeated throughout the entirety of the elimination rounds and Schramkowski was awarded the Best Oral Advocate in the competition.
“I owe my entire success in this competition to the Belmont Law program,” Schramkowski said. “My entire argument revolved around the Erie doctrine, a very complex issue that students learn in their first year of law school. If I had not received such great instruction in the first instance from the talented Professor Amy Moore, I could not have possibly picked up the subject two years later—let alone argue it well enough to prevail on the national scene. Belmont’s emphasis on growth through simulation and practical application is crucial when it comes to succeeding in this program.”
The NALC provides law students an opportunity to develop knowledge in the field of animal law and to hone their written and oral advocacy skills.
Gilmore and Schramkowski were declared regional champions in February at the National Appellate Advocacy Competition (NAAC) sponsored by the American Bar Association and will travel to Washington D.C. in April to compete at nationals with the other members of their advancing team.
“It means so much to have won a national competition,” Gilmore said. “We have been successful at regionals before, but this is the first time we are national champions. We constantly practice with each other, bounce ideas off of each other, and try to push each other past our limits to keep getting better. I couldn’t do it without the support of the entire group of moot court members.”
Monday marks the start of Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month at Belmont. While the national celebration is in May, Belmont observes this month in April with various events that highlight the diversity and rich culture of the AAPI community.
“This year marks the second annual celebration of AAPI Heritage Month at Belmont University,” said Dr. Gideon Wongi Park, AAPI month committee member and assistant professor of religion. “I am excited because it is an opportunity to highlight the rich histories and contributions of Asian immigrants, beginning with the first arrival of Filipino migrants in the 16th century. Here at Belmont University, the AAPI community is small but growing. That makes AAPI representation matter all the more in order to provide adequate resources and systems of support for students, faculty and staff—and that is precisely what the AAPI committee is committed to working towards. We invite the entire campus community to participate in the events scheduled for April.”
The 2022-23 AAPI Heritage month committee consists of faculty, staff and student representatives including Park, Tola Akhom-Pokrywka, Irene Lawrence, Qingjun (Joan) Li, Tony Nguyen, Kristi Oshiro and Sean Yoo. The committee partnered with Asian Studies, University Ministries, Mental Health Services and others to host chapels, speakers and other events centered around fostering greater awareness of issues that face AAPI students at Belmont.
Scheduled events include:
Regenerated to Wholeness with Dr. Jenny Pak, School of Psychology, Fuller Seminary | April 3 at 10 a.m. in Gabhart Chapel (Ayers) What does it look like to believe that we can be regenerated to wholeness? Globalization and rapid modernization often collide with traditional cultural and religious values. Many Asian American Christians and bicultural individuals struggle to fashion self out of conflicting values and dual existence. The conflicted, divided self is not unique to these groups, but a shared human condition.
Thick Clients and Thin Therapists: Towards Understanding Psychotherapy as a Cultural Practice” with Dr. Jenny Pak, School of Psychology, Fuller Seminary April 3, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m., lunch presentation in Massey Boardroom Co-sponsored by CLASS, CTCM, CURB, MCB and Mental Health Counseling. It is important to place modern psychology in its historical and social context and recognize psychotherapy contains a distinct moral character that reflects a particular culture and time. As such, it is imperative for clinicians in training to recognize the values underlying psychotherapy as a cultural practice. With rapid globalization, all therapists must engage in cultural learning more deeply and understand the cultural and social embeddedness of clients in a more complex and dynamic fashion. Implications for clinical training and professional development will be discussed. Jenny H. Pak, Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology and MA in Theological Seminary will be joining us to speak on psychotherapy as a cultural practice. She is a current professor at Fuller’s School of Psychology and has been there since 2014.
Asian Christianity with Dr. Won Lee, Professor of Religion and Asian Studies, Calvin University | April 5 at 10 a.m. in Gabhart Chapel (Ayers) Co-sponsored by CLASS, CTCM, CURB, MCB Most Americans think of Christianity as a Western religion, but what does the history and the reality of world Christianity show us? We will engage this topic by hearing from Dr. Won Lee, Professor of Religion and Asian studies at Calvin University, and the editor of The Oxford Handbook of the Bible in Korea, which explores how faith communities in Korea and the Korean diaspora use the Bible in their religious, social, and political contexts. He has a BA from Yonsei University in Korea, an MDiv from Princeton Seminary, and a PhD from Claremont Graduate School.
When a Korean American Reads the Bible …?! with Dr. Won Lee, Professor of Religion and Asian Studies, Calvin University | April 5 at 11:30 a.m. in the Private Dining Room at Harrington Place Co-sponsored by CLASS, CTCM, CURB, and MCB As a first-generation Korean American, I belong neither to my motherland nor the newly adopted home and yet I belong simultaneously part of two worlds. This seemingly contradictory state provides a context for introducing new insights that are vital to Christianity, an essentially contextual and pluralistic religion. The question is then whether the works of all diaspora be regarded as mere additions to or integral part of the traditional interpretation of the Bible.
Sakura: Cherry Blossoms and Japan with Dr. Cynthia Bisson and Nozomi Takasu | April 11 at 6 p.m. in Ayers 1034 Co-sponsored by Asian Studies and Japanese Culture Club Dr. Cynthia Bisson will speak about the cherry blossom as a symbol of the US-Japanese friendship and about the 2023 festival in Nashville on Saturday, April 15. Nozomi Takasu, a Belmont alumna and local performer, will sing Japanese songs and will reflect on what the sakura means for Japanese people.
AAPI Food Festival | April 12 at 5:30 p.m., Bell Tower Patio Please join AAPI-affiliated student organizations for a celebratory time of food and fellowship. In case of weather, an alternative location is Massey 103.
Belmont Undergraduate Research Symposium: Asian Studies Section | April 19 at 6 p.m. in Ayers 2144 As an exercise in the Honors Humanities Seminar: Cultural Intelligence, four students will read their cultural autobiographies as a reflection on their personal relationship to their cultural heritage and community. Autobiographies will be read by Elena Amonette (Laotian), Sadaf Folad (Afghan), Ava Malaka Munyer (Lebanese) and Ana Flinton (Korean). A period of Q&A will follow. Advisor: Dr. Ronnie Littlejohn.
Reading the Bible from Multiracial Perspectives: Asia, Africa, Latin America, and North America | Undergraduate Research Posters on display on the second-floor atrium in Ayers, April 3-10 Christianity in Asia by Hope Dennis and Amilya Bryant Asian American Biblical Interpretation by Kaitlyn Riley and Emma Grace Schenck Christianity in Africa by Caden Diffenderfer and AP Phillippi African American Biblical Interpretation by Rileigh Schumacher and Paige Jackson Christianity in Latin America by Ford Chittom and Casey Cox Latino/a Biblical Interpretation by Ethan Ronk and Jake Patterson Indigenous Biblical Interpretation by Grace Blair and Kenzie Blakey Islander Biblical Interpretation by Abby Pratt and Jared Carwile Jewish Biblical Interpretation by Julia Blahnik and Garrett Jacob
Zak Kuhn, founder of The Nashville Briefing newsletter recorded an episode of his podcast—The Zak Kuhn Show—in Belmont’s Johnson Theater on Thursday, March 23 as part of Curb College’s student enrichment seminar series.
An entertainment business entrepreneur, Kuhn started The Nashville Briefing newsletter in 2019 as a publication “made by the industry, for the industry.” Its target audience includes publishers, agents, label executives, managers and musicians. In 2020, Kuhn launched “The Zak Kuhn Show” podcast, where he shares long-form interviews with leaders in the music and entrainment business.
During his live recording event at Belmont, the podcaster interviewed country music reporter-turned-YouTuber Grady Smith who shared about his serendipitous path to success as well as advice for students and content creators.
Smith cut his teeth at Entertainment Weekly, first as an intern, then as a staff writer. Big opportunities came his way when he raised his hand for projects no one else wanted, his first being a pithy Jake Owen album review. A simple ‘yes’ launched his career into the country music space where he now has a collective online audience of nearly 250,000 followers.
Through the rise of social media, Smith has seen relationships with the press change, especially throughout the last decade. “The membrane between reader and writer is getting thinner and thinner.”
Students asked the YouTuber questions such as ‘what’s the biggest thing that helped you find and maintain success,’ and ‘how did your mindset change from your twenties to your thirties.’
The content creator shared that ambitious concepts and patience for videos to take off have been crucial for his YouTube career. You have to have “acceptance of delayed gratification” while also continuing to put out content. Additionally, he said, “When you’re on the internet, you’re a Rorschach test… I can’t control how I’m perceived.” Smith’s self-assurance has changed from his twenties to his thirties, giving him more confidence to lean into his craft.
Groups who participated in the March 24 Social Justice Hackathon —an event resulting from the Belmont University and Fisk University Social Justice Collaborative, with assistance from Belmont Data Collaborative—used data to tell compelling stories for change. Many of the seven groups opened their final presentations by creating two hypothetical personas. One individual would be a resident of Nashville’s 37215 zip code—an affluent, predominantly-white area of Nashville; the other, a resident of the 37208 zip code —one of Nashville’s lower-income neighborhoods.
The individuals would have drastically different stories, according to the findings from the data sets that Belmont and Fisk students studied. Students looked at issues that residents of the 37208 neighborhood face at higher rates, such as criminally high interest rates on payday loans, difficult access to healthcare facilities, amounts of sleep and more.
The presentations were given at the end of a full day of data “hacking,” or diving into data to look for themes, collaborating on insights and developing suggestions for actionable change. A panel of judges from Fisk and Belmont named the “Equity Engineers” group the winners, although the goal of the event was not to win, but to make meaningful relationships between universities while tackling complex social challenges.
Belmont senior Marcus Knight said the hackathon was outside of his creative wheelhouse but reminded him of the “simple fact that there is potential and capacity for real, legislative, actionable change in the lives of Nashvillians and Americans everywhere.” “Don’t let the modern defeatist narrative fool you; change is ALWAYS possible,” he said.
One Belmont student participant, freshman Creative and Entertainment Industries major Andrea Lawrence, decided to participate after having a fun experience with a previous Belmont Data Collaborative Hackathon and enjoying the opportunity to meet new people, see one another’s strengths and skills, and collaborate to create a solution to a real-life problem in a short amount of time.
“It was a fantastic experience getting to work with students at Fisk because they were so kind and helpful when providing their perspective to us as Belmont students. The areas that we live and go to school in are drastically different, so it was a crucial part of understanding those differences and where we could help improve their community.”
Lawrence’s group presented partnerships with banks and loan companies as a solution to the inequity when it comes to the rate that loans are given to people of color vs. white people. The groups also proposed job and internship fairs for Fisk students to create deep Nashville connections that will push them to stay in the area post-graduation and give back to their community directly.
“Having the data to back up the problem that is being experienced helps to drive an impactful solution. Using the data to create insights and see the numbers sometimes helps people realize the severity of the situation rather than just discussing the overall idea,” Lawrence said.
Staff from various departments collaborated to host the hackathon.
The Social Justice Collaborative between Belmont and Fisk, funded by a grant from the Rechter Family Foundation, is designed to cultivate champions for social justice by providing knowledge and experiences for students, exposing them to civil rights movements across the Middle Tennessee area, encouraging leadership and guiding them to create a body of work that will inspire the world. The collaboration takes shape through a joint course that students from both universities enroll in, working together to tackle issues surrounding systematic barriers of health care, education, housing, jobs and the criminal justice system.
Podcasting is on the rise, with an expected 100 million podcast listeners in the United States by 2024. This number is up from 75.9 million in 2020 and is expected to continue rising. How does Belmont fit into this growing industry?
Belmont has developed a thriving podcast community on campus, led by faculty and staff who are using the medium to share their passions with the world. From conversations about the transition to college to entrepreneurship, data, sports, the female experience in entertainment, and finding purpose and meaning out of life, Belmont’s podcast community is telling stories and offering new and valuable perspectives on a range of different topics.
Jennifer Duck, assistant professor of media studies, has her own show and has interviewed Belmont faculty and staff, and has also been a collaborator and guest on other Belmont faculty podcast shows. She emphasizes in her work how people at Belmont are getting together and creating a storytelling network that extends far past this campus alone.
Duck’s podcast is a passion project which she does on the side of her regular full-time job at Belmont. Her podcast “Grounded on Purpose” was in the top 15% of shared podcasts worldwide last year. When thinking about starting her own podcast, she sat down and thought about what her intention was with the project. She realized that the word “grounded” is very multi-dimensional, and can cover vast ranges of meaning. Her podcast isn’t centered on one subject matter, but rather is chasing the overarching question of “how to live the good life, with input from diverse perspectives.”
Duck believes podcasting is a tool for exploration and relationship building and uses it as a personal way to get to know others and tell stories worth sharing. “In the age of the infodemic, I want to put good information out there,” she said. Since starting her podcast, Jennifer has found herself taking more time to pause and reflect and to find the common ground in our world.
As executive director of the Thomas F. Cone Sr. Center for Entrepreneurship at Belmont, Elizabeth Gortmaker is another member of the community whose podcast “What If…” focuses on the impact of entrepreneurship for students, alumni and anyone interested in entrepreneurship.
“We have over 800 alums who have started businesses in six countries around the world from all different majors,” she said. “As I’ve gotten to know these alums, I’ve found that they all have such incredible stories and I really want to share more about the power of entrepreneurship to inspire our current students and to inspire other alums. I want to get the stories out there. That’s the mission.” Gortmaker views podcasting as an accessible tool to meet people where they are. “We are equipping leaders to commit to a future built through excellence, character and purpose. We want to inspire people and to teach them something.”
Charlie Apigian shares Gortmaker’s view that podcasting can be used as a tool for connection. As executive director of the Belmont Data Collaborative, Apigian co-hosts “Data 4 All,” a podcast that works to break down hard data concepts into terms anyone can understand.
Wanting to empower people with data, Apigian says his passion lies in giving people the skills they need to make better, more informed decisions when it comes to data. “What is data? It is not just columns and rows in a spreadsheet,” he said. “It is the capturing of an imperfect view of reality. We want to make it more personal so that hopefully people will go on that journey with us.” Believing that the future of storytelling is through long-form and that long-form usually means podcasting, Apigian hopes that Belmont faculty can inspire a new generation of students to discover the art form for themselves.
Other notable podcasts around campus include Steve Layman’s “In Layman’s Terms,” which is sponsored by Belmont Athletics and features guests from across sports, as well as Resident Life’s “College Parent Podcast,” which equips college parents with the tools they need to have meaningful conversations with their college students.
Finally, Victoria Banks, instructor of songwriting co-hosts “The Table Women,” a podcast by and about women in the entertainment industry, that provides a fun and safe space to discuss the ups and downs of the female experience in entertainment.
While the many diverse podcasts on Belmont’s campus represent a multitude of disciplines and perspectives, there is one unifying factor tying them together: Belmont faculty and staff have stories to share and view podcasting as a form of meaningful connection to celebrate those stories. Podcasting is on the rise, and with it, Belmont’s storytelling community.
Belmont has again earned the Voter Friendly Campus designation for 2023-2024. The designation comes from Fair Elections Center’s Campus Vote Project and NASPA – Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education. The Voter Friendly Campus initiative, established in 2016 as a tool to enable campuses to develop comprehensive voter engagement, education and turnout plans. This is the second year the Voter Friendly Campus initiative named Belmont a voter-friendly campus and Belmont is one of only four campuses to receive this designation for ‘23-24.
Belmont’s Student Government Association (SGA) formed a coalition to write and implement a campus plan. SGA brought awareness to campus in several ways including setting up a table with voting resources and information at campus events such as “It Must Be Wednesday” and the Student Organization fair, participating in National Voter Registration Day and updating the SGA website to include a voter registration/resources tab. The student-led organization also proposed a Civic Engagement Amendment in its Constitution to inform the student body of the Voter Friendly Campus initiative and SGA’s commitment to advancing civic engagement on campus.
“The Voter Friendly Campus designation gives us something to aspire to and helps keep us accountable to our mission of equipping our students to make the world a better place,” director of the Office of Service-Learning Tim Stewart said. “It also provides us with multiple resources and opportunities to promote voter registration, education and participation.”
In its first cycle to oversee Voter Friendly Campus initiative proceedings, SGA managed to earn this designation amid significant transitions including a transition of leadership within the student organization and a departmental transition from the Office of Service-Learning to Student Government.
Using data from the National Study of Learning, Voting, and Engagement (NSLVE) and PowerPoint Presentation “Votes and Ballots” software provided by the Tennessee Campus Democracy Network, SGA identified two focus areas for the future: freshman engagement and outreach to Belmont’s diversity, equity and inclusion-focused organizations.
SGA has plans to incorporate volunteering as a poll worker for service credit, promote more democratic and civic engagement through social media and establish a “Game Plan” program for the 2024 Presidential election among other things in the upcoming school year.
About
NASPA is the leading association for the advancement, health, and sustainability of the student affairs profession. Our work provides high-quality professional development, advocacy, and research for 15,000 members in all 50 states, 25 countries, and 8 U.S. territories.
Fair Elections Center is a national, nonpartisan voting rights and legal support organization that works to eliminate barriers to voting and improve election administration across the United States. Fair Elections Center’s Campus Vote Project works with universities, community colleges, faculty, students and election officials to reduce barriers to student voting and helps campuses institutionalize reforms that empower students with the information they need to register and vote.
Belmont recently received the 2023-2024 Silver Military Friendly® School designation for the ninth consecutive year. This designation indicates greater support and better outcomes for veterans and military-affiliated students who attend the university.
Within the Belmont College of Law, a unique intersectionality exists for military-affiliated students who manage the rigorous demands of the program while simultaneously fulfilling their military service requirements. A juris doctorate degree provides varying opportunities to students and alumni who serve in military branches.
Second Lieutenant Wade LoPiccolo was commissioned to the United State Marine Corps in August 2021 and is a second-year law student (2L). The Franklin, Tennesse native chose to study law at Belmont over four other schools that accepted him.
“My family lives 10 minutes down the road and I felt that I wanted to be close to home,” LoPiccolo said. “After all the research, coming for a tour and now as student, I truly believe that the school, professors and the whole program is second to none.”
Wade LoPiccolo is Student Judge Advocate in the U.S. Marine Corps and a second-year law student at Belmont.
As a Student Judge Advocate for the Marines, LoPiccolo provides services for legal agencies and commands. Upon graduation, he will be promoted to Judge Advocate General (JAG) where he will be a litigator for Marine officers. The College of Law has several alumni who have served and currently serve as JAGs.
“I was an early start,” LoPiccolo said. “Most of the people I commissioned with were commissioned after their 1L year. That’s the best thing about this program. It allows for students like me to have real experience, like an internship, but it is our career that we’re doing.”
Currently in her third year of law school (3L), Rachel Sistrunk wanted to be a Bruin since touring the campus as a prospective undergraduate student. The Air Force’s Funded Legal Education Program (FLEP) helped make Belmont a financial possibility.
“Since third grade, it’s always been a goal of mine to go to law school,” Sistrunk said. “The idea of justice has always intrigued me. A big problem in the military recently has been sexual assault cases. In all services right now, there are special victims’ counsels. I have the potential to be an attorney for somebody who was a victim of sexual assault or domestic assault. I want to do that in the Air Force.”
Rachel Sistrunk (left) volunteers at an expungement clinic in Clarksville on November 19, 2023.
A dedication to community service is a hallmark of Belmont law students. Last spring’s graduating class had the highest number of students participating in pro bono work. Throughout this academic year, Sistrunk logged over 53 hours of pro bono work by participating in the Legal Aid Society as well as volunteering in bankruptcy and expungement clinics. Her volunteerism will earn the May graduate state and campus recognition. She will receive the Law Student for Justice Award from the state and the Pro Bono Pledge Award and graduation chord from Belmont.
“My motivator is helping those that need it and can’t necessarily afford it,” she said. “In the Air Force, I don’t really get to do that too much. We can advise people in the military but, other than that, we don’t get that opportunity to really go out and help people that way. So, I’m really trying to take advantage of it right now. A lot of people don’t know their rights or don’t know that they have access to certain things.”
Lieutenant Colonel John Jefferson takes the Oath from Colonel Brian Slaughter.
As a Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Army Reserve, 2019 alumnus John Jefferson frequently travels to San Juan, Puerto Rico to be with his unit. At home in Tennessee, Jefferson was recently promoted to Assistant General Counsel for the Administrative Office of the Courts in the Tennessee Supreme Court.
He credits successfully managing a “dual life” as a reservist and civilian to the foundations set during his time at Belmont. Considered a non-traditional student, Jefferson had a family when he started the program in his thirties. One weekend each month and two weeks in the summer were reserved for the Army while he was a full-time student.
“Belmont Law taught me how to think methodically about the rules, exceptions to the rules, about the judiciary, and how the rule of law plays in our lives,” Jefferson said. “I caught a passion for the efficient administration of justice. How it ties into what I do in the military and project management, and that all came together working for the courts.”
In September, Jefferson will assume command of a battalion in Kentucky, much closer to home than his monthly travel to Puerto Rico. This dual life allows Jefferson to perform exceptional military service in tandem with playing an integral legal role at the state level.
Equipped with a law degree from Belmont, many military-affiliated students can continue their military service and work in the legal space, fulfilling the desire for duty through service and a passion for law.
Belmont is known for providing inspiring and educational study abroad opportunities for students. While studying abroad gives students the chance to see and engage with cultures and countries other than their own, the University recognizes that similarly incredible learning opportunities also exist in our own country’s major cities. For students wanting to immerse themselves in new cities and experiences without traveling abroad, Belmont has developed the Belmont USA study away programs.
An exclusive Belmont University experience away from Nashville, Belmont USA allows students to continue academic coursework for their undergraduate degrees while gaining hands-on experience in a variety of cities across the United States. Students have the opportunity to take Belmont academic courses while engaging in internships or other immersion experiences in Los Angeles (“Belmont West”), New York City (“Belmont East”), Hollywood, Washington D.C. or Oregon. Recently, Belmont has added the Disney College Program as part of Belmont USA and will expand to Atlanta within the next couple of years.
While Belmont USA programs largely appeal to entertainment majors, the programs are open to all majors looking to try a new city and expand their professional networks.
Zoe Nichols
Philosophy and art student Zoe Nichols, spoke of her recent experience as part of the Oregon Exchange program in a panel discussion for Belmont students. “I lived in the woods for a semester with 26 other students,” she said. “To be in this space where you’re forced to be together and to learn together, you develop these really beautiful relationships with people you would otherwise never connect with. It was life changing. It opens doors to seeing so many realms of life that are so interconnected. What could that lead to?”
With programs across the U.S., all students are able to engage both personally and academically with their chosen career paths outside of Belmont’s Nashville campus. The semester-long programs are tailored to individual students’ courses of study and can focus on topics from sustainability and the human experience to film studies, politics and policy and more. Because of Belmont USA’s hybrid nature, students can also complete general education requirements such as Third Year Writing and Junior Cornerstone. Most students—especially in the New York, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. programs—complete an internship within their industry ranging from politics, music business and entertainment, marketing and communications and more.
Caleb Pierce, onsight manager for Belmont West, shared how Belmont’s study away opportunities places students in the heart of the entertainment and business industries within some of our biggest cities. With the LA and New York programs approaching their 25th year in operation, Pierce noted the vast network of professionals, both alumni and Belmont USA program veterans, who are available to help students find internships and begin their careers. “We focus on creating community,” he said. “Participating in this program is a great time to discover what’s best for you.”
Students describe their Belmont USA experiences as semesters of growth and self-discovery that have proved fulfilling—even life-changing—for them. The Belmont USA program has launched many students to incredible careers. One such success story is alumnus Kaleb Steele, who participated in the Belmont East program as a music business student. With the aid of connections he made while in New York, Steele has gone on to become executive assistant of the chairwoman at Beyonce’s production, management and entertainment company, Parkwood Entertainment.
Understanding that industry-leading jobs can emerge from study away programs, Belmont USA program coordinator Siobhan Harren said, “My goal is to keep growing the programs to all majors and help advisors and faculty be aware of our programs. We need to spread the word and encourage students to apply! It’s really great opportunity if you have any interest in trying out a city or moving there after you graduate.”
From living in the heart of New York City to looking out your dorm window and seeing the Hollywood sign, Belmont USA offers exceptional experiences across the U.S. for students to spend time exploring and finding community, and to hopefully uncover the next steps of their career in the process.
With over 1,500 entries and 70 teams, Pi Kappa Delta is the country’s largest comprehensive national tournament. Belmont’s national competition team of seven students brought 35 entries and fared extremely well against some of the nation’s top schools, such as Western Kentucky University, the University of Alabama and Ohio University.
The team earned the title of Division II National Champions, a first in Belmont’s history. As individual competitors, the team surpassed several other records:
13 events advanced to National Quarterfinals (Top 24 in the nation; a Belmont record)
8 events advanced to National Semifinals (Top 12 in the nation; a Belmont record)
5 events advanced to National Finals (Top 6 in the nation; a Belmont record)
8 Excellence Awards were given to Belmont students who placed in the top 30% in their events but did not advance to final rounds.
Aaron Kleinschmidt, senior double major in Spanish and international politics, made final rounds in Duo Interpretation with junior double major in music and public health, Alisa Osborne. Osborne also made the final round of Dramatic Interpretation and secured 9th place overall speaker in the nation, setting a Belmont record. “I love exploring current issues and being able to change minds through storytelling,” Osborne said. “When people leave the room having experienced a wave of emotions and a new perspective, I know I’ve done my job.”
The events are split up into four categories: debate, public address, limited prep and interpretation. Debate competitors have 30 minutes to prepare and debate on a new topic each round. Public address requires students to present self-researched and written 10-minute speeches, whereas the speeches in the limited prep category are prepared and delivered within a set amount of time. Interpretation requires students to perform a 10-minute piece from various scripts, books and articles.
Both Osborne and Kleinschmidt were speech competitors in high school, making this achievement a long time coming. “My first tournament in 2016 literally made me want to run away,” admitted Osborne. With the help of supportive coaches and teammates in college, her confidence in public speaking grew immeasurably. “What is the worst fear of millions is now one of my greatest joys,” she said.
Kleinschmidt, who also made final rounds in several other categories, echoed the sentiment of the team’s encouraging community. “This activity requires you to put your heart out on the line—the hours we spend doing that each week help foment a trust unlike any other.”
Senior team members with Director of Forensics Ryan Greenawalt and Director of Debate Rezi Manaj
The students’ dedicated work—memorizing, blocking, researching, writing, rehearsing and advocating for causes they care about—paid off and reinforced Belmont as a powerhouse in the speech and debate circuit.
Individual Awards:
Luke Litz: National Champion in Editorial Impromptu, National Champion Best Debate Speaker in Nation, IPDA Debate Quarterfinalist, Excellence Award in Interviewing
Max Caskie: National Champion in Extemporaneous Speaking Commentary, 2nd Best Debate Speaker in Nation, Editorial Impromptu Quarterfinalist; IPDA Debate Octofinalist, Excellence Award in Interviewing
Alisa Osborne: 9th Overall Speaker in the Nation,3rd in the Nation in Duo Interpretation (with Aaron Kleinschmidt), 5th in the Nation in Dramatic Interpretation, Duo Interpretation Semifinalist (with Jasmine Pettus), Excellence Award in Interviewing
Aaron Kleinschmidt: 3rd in the Nation in Duo Interpretation (with Alisa Osborne), Semifinalist in Rhetorical Criticism, Quarterfinalist in Impromptu Speaking, Quarterfinalist in Prose Interpretation, Excellence Award in Dramatic Interpretation
Jasmine Pettus: Semifinalist in Duo Interpretation (with Alisa Osborne), Quarterfinalist in Programmed Oral Interpretation, Quarterfinalist in Poetry Interpretation, Excellence Award in Interviewing
Sarah Carvalho: Semifinalist in After Dinner Speaking, Excellence Award in Interviewing, Excellence Award in Impromptu Speaking, Excellence Award in Prose Interpretation
Pharmacy students at Belmont recently expanded their skillset by earning certificates for successful completion of an introduction to Python course as part of a larger Healthcare Informatics track. Python is a powerful programming language that is widely used in data science, machine learning and artificial intelligence. This skillset translates to pharmaceutical studies by allowing practitioners to analyze large amounts of patient data, recognize trends, then craft protocols based on the data.
The course covered programming basics with Python, while also providing an introduction to machine learning and artificial intelligence concepts. Students applied this knowledge to projects tackling real-world problems.
Having provided a broader understanding of Python and data concepts, students and faculty in the pharmacy department feel that the course was a valuable experience for the pharmacy students and has opened new opportunities for them. “Healthcare informatics represents the dividing line between yesterday’s pharmacists and the pharmacists of tomorrow,” said Dr. Anthony Blash, associate professor of healthcare informatics and analytics at Belmont. “In a learning health system, it is critical to be able to manage health-related data in the delivery of optimal medication-related patient care and health outcomes. By acquiring these skills our students are prepared to improve health care quality, safety and efficiency through the use of health-related data.”
