On March 12, from 1 to 3 p.m., five students from CHASS, the School of Business, and the School of Public Policy came together for the semi-final competition for UC Riverside’s Grad Slam.  students gave speeches on their pre-determined topics before a panel of judges. Only four were selected to move forward in the final competition,  which will be held on Friday, April 10. 

Grad Slam is a UC-wide competition challenging students to develop their public speaking and presentation-giving skills on a specific research project within 3 minutes, with only 1 slide to help. At the UCR level, contestants can win $5,000, with the award increasing to $7,000 at the UC-wide competition. However, the skills that each participant gains go beyond winning or losing.

“Grad Slam has fundamentally shifted how I think about my role as a researcher,” said Jasvir Rabban M.B.E, PhD student in religious studies, “It’s not enough to produce knowledge, we have a responsibility to make it accessible, felt, and impactful. My work sits at the intersection of Sikh studies, (sacred) music, neuroscience and (trauma) healing and this experience has pushed me to distill complex, interdisciplinary ideas into something that can truly reach people. That shift from knowledge production to knowledge translation has been one of the most valuable parts of my education.”

Koto Katayama, a second-year screenwriter in the MBA program, said that participating has helped her to break out of her shell and build upon her skillset.

“I was a TA for the public speaking class last year, and now to be doing this, it makes a lot of sense to me that the things that I learned in that class are becoming useful,” Katayama said. “Actually doing a speech is very different, but I think it was really nice to get feedback from the staff in CHASS and improve each time.”

While public speaking can often feel difficult or uncomfortable, it is a common skill needed in the professional world; any job that requires interacting with the public or presenting their work to others needs that skill. Getting prepared for that as a student, however, can sometimes be difficult. Rabban thinks that a similar program for undergraduate students could help to build their confidence and get them used to public speaking.

“I would go further to say it’s necessary,” Rabban said. “Developing the ability to articulate your ideas early on changes how you engage with your education entirely. It builds confidence, ownership, and a sense that your voice has value. Creating that foundation at the undergraduate level would be transformative for how students see themselves as thinkers and leaders.”

Both Katayama and Rabban will be representing CHASS at the final competition, as well as creative writing student Muna Crescent Chahfe and ethnic studies student Jenni Martinez.

FEATURED PHOTO. Speaker Koto Katayama resolutely addresses the crowd.