Los Oradores, a Toastmasters club in Urbandale, Iowa, is pleased to announce that on April 30th one of its members, Nela Sowder, won the Toastmasters International Speech Contest for District 19, which is composed of 1,450 Toastmaster members throughout the state of Iowa. Prior to winning at the state level, Ms. Sowder participated in and won contests at her club, then at the Area level which includes four clubs in the Des Moines metro area, then the Division level, which includes 18 clubs in central Iowa.
Ms. Sowder, originally from Peru, is bilingual in Spanish and English but all speeches in the International Contest are presented in English, which is her second language. After winning the District 19 speech contest with her speech entitled “Life After Death”, about organ donation, she will now compete at the Toastmasters Regional Quarterfinals and if she continues her winning streak, she’ll move up to the Regional Semifinals at the annual International Convention, which will be held in Nashville, TN in August 2022. If Nela wins there, she will compete in the Finals, which will include contestants from around the world and the winner will be crowned the World Champion of Public Speaking.
Toastmasters International is a nonprofit educational organization that teaches public speaking and leadership skills through a worldwide network of clubs. Headquartered in Englewood, Colo., the organization’s membership exceeds 300,000 in more than 15,800 clubs in 149 countries. Since 1924, Toastmasters International has helped people from diverse backgrounds become more confident speakers, communicators, and leaders.
Los Oradores is the only bilingual Spanish-English Toastmasters club in the state of Iowa. It is composed of 21 members who meet twice monthly and for six out of the last seven years it has been designated by Toastmasters International as a Distinguished Club, an honor that can be earned each year by clubs that achieve certain goals and demonstrate they have served the club’s members very well.
The mission of Los Oradores and all Toastmaster clubs is to provide a supportive and positive learning experience in which members are empowered to develop communication and leadership skills, resulting in greater self-confidence and personal growth. Anyone who would like more information about Toastmasters or Los Oradores Toastmasters can contact the club at losoradores@gmail.com or by visiting their website at https://losoradores.toastmastersclubs.org.