Speaking in front of an audience is one of the top fears for Americans, and speaking in front of a panel of judges who are analyzing everything you say would be a petrifying feeling for a lot of students. Owatonna High School senior Sheldon Jensen has found himself thriving in this situation.

Sheldon Jensen has been in speech since he was a freshman. This year he has placed third at the 1AA Sections Tournament and has made his way to the state tournament for the third year. Jensen participates in the category Great Speeches, which means the contestants must prepare a speech which is partly composed of a famous speech and partly an analyzation of that speech. Jensen choose to analyze Frederick Douglass’ eulogy for Abraham Lincoln. When asked why he choose to do this speech, he said, “I wanted to do a eulogy that was historical and portrayed aspects of America you don’t hear in History class.” This year, he has begun preparing for state by using input from his peers and teachers, as well as his coaches. The OHS gave Jensen a farewell to state with an Academic Support session on wednesday, April 18. Students were not only able to listen to Jensen, but the other members of the speech team give their speeches.

The State Speech Tournament is taking place today, Friday, April 20th at the Apple Valley High School. Good job to all of the speech team members on a great season, and good luck to Sheldon Jensen at state!