Let Your Life Speak, an annual student speaking event, was held on April 11, giving San Jose City College students the opportunity to speak about their life experiences on stage.

Shelley Giacalone, a communications studies professor at SJCC, created the event in 2017. When students were sharing stories about their lives for class, she had the idea to give them the opportunity to share those stories with a larger audience for more than just a grade.

“I wanted to create a larger platform for students to share their life stories with a community audience,” said Giacalone. “My goal was to provide SJCC students with an opportunity to shine on stage and share their transformative narratives, as they are truly inspiring.”

After having the idea for the event, she spoke to the president at the time, Dr. Breland. He gave her a contact at Adobe, which has hosted the event for the past eight years.

“Each year is different,” Giacalone said. “Some years we have more speakers, and other years fewer. After COVID, it took a few years for the event to regain momentum as we transitioned back to in-person gatherings.”  

The number of students who audition differs every year. Some years there are 20 students, while others, fewer than 10 people audition. Typically, eight to 11 students are selected to speak each year.

The students are also coached on their speeches by Giacalone before the event.

“I coach each student individually for five to seven hours,” Giacalone said. “In addition, we hold a dress rehearsal before the event. Students spend several hours working with me to refine their outlines and practice their delivery in preparation for the event.”

There are many other ways that students can benefit from being selected.

“Selected students have the opportunity to enroll in a 1-unit COMS-098 course to earn transferable credit,” said Giacalone. “They gain valuable experience through coaching and presenting their life stories at Adobe. Some students have even made professional connections with Adobe employees, helping to further their careers.”

Let Your Life Speak serves as a networking opportunity for selected students, too.

“Additionally, past speakers have been invited to speak at SJCC Professional Development Days and in the local community,” Giacalone said. “The event has become a stepping stone for students to build both their personal and professional networks, while also enhancing their public speaking skills.”

Emerson Archuleta is a second year psychology student who was one of the speakers at the event. She learned about the event through SJCC’s announcement emails.

“My speech is on how I have learned to embrace my blindness after facing cruel treatment at a STEM camp last summer due to my disability,” said Archuleta. “I am hoping to shed light on the harsh realities experienced by many individuals with disabilities, like myself, through my speech. I decided to participate because I believe this is a great opportunity to raise awareness about disabilities and the often overlooked subject of treatment many disabled individuals endure.”

Samantha Sophia Llenos is a first-year business administration student, and was also one of the speakers in this event. She heard about the event during her first Associated Student Government meeting, and decided to give a speech about her role models and how they have inspired her outlook in life.

“Professor Giacalone went in to promote auditions and it just so happens, she was going to be my COMS-20 professor, so I thought about auditioning,” she said.

Llenos was nervous about auditioning at first, especially because she’s an international student.

“Entering a new environment, I was unsure on how I would carry myself especially in a speech,” she said. “However, with the encouragement of my friends, I went and auditioned anyway. I thought to myself that an opportunity like this will not come by again and this is my time to let myself experience what it could be like to share a part of my life to an audience.”

Giacalone said that she always looks forward to the students’ stories.

“Each year, we are inspired by new and remarkable stories that reflect the unique and dynamic life experiences of our student speakers,” she said. “We have talented and brilliant student speakers who are working hard to share their inspiring stories with us!”