Academics, Campus Wide, College of Humanities & Social Sciences, Student Stories

Odom takes second place in public speaking competition

By John Kerrigan | May 1, 2025

A CSU student’s speech about overcoming PTSD finished second place in the Lowcountry Speaking Invitational public speaking competition hosted by The Citadel in early April.

Madison Odom, a senior majoring in communication studies, discussed her recovery and eventual PTSD diagnosis after being attacked by a dog in 2022 in her speech. Odom also discussed her determination to return to dancing, even though doctors said it was unlikely she would dance again. She did in fact prove the doctors wrong and is now the captain of CSU’s competitive dance team.

“It was rewarding knowing that people believed my story was worth sharing. I had so many people come up to me and tell me that not only was my speech delivery good, but my story was also incredible,” Odom said.

Odom also competed alongside two other CSU students, Allie Bryant and Jill Davis, both senior communication studies majors. Other competitors included The Citadel, Trident Tech and high school students.

Bryant’s speech titled “The Rise & Shine project: From Lockdown to Leadership,” was about The Rise & Shine project’s mission to help those with heightened anxiety after the Corona-virus pandemic.

Davis’ speech, titled “Not just a day,” highlighted how her high school graduation was more than just a day.

The preparation process included weekly meetings with Dr. Sean Forney, director of The Patricia McArver Public Speaking Lab at The Citadel. Forney approved of student’s topics and coached them through the process.

This year was the first year that The Citadel public speaking competition opened its doors to students from other universities and colleges, said Dr. Dawn Casas, assistant professor of communication at CSU. Casas also helped CSU students through the preparation process and expressed the student’s dedication to the process.

“It was more notably awesome then I thought it could be. They poured themselves into it,” Casassaid.

Casas also expressed plans for a public speaking competition on CSU’s campus in the fall where the top two winners would compete in The Citadel competition in the spring.