ANU finance student wins Lions Oratory Competition

Victor Sukeerth Munagala from the College of Business and Economics won the 2016 Lions Oratory competition worth $2000.

Honours student Louise Blessington from the College of Medicine, Biology and Environment was runner up.

Mr Munagala, a finance student, said he was overwhelmed when the judge announced him as the competition winner with his speech on the Syrian Civil War, a topic close to his heart.

"The journey from writing that 100 word speech proposal to editing in the final touches of my speech has been an enlightening journey," he said.

"While I have been passionate about the Syrian Civil War before, partially due to the fact that I once lived in Syria, going through many hours of documentaries detailing lives of those caught in the conflict has helped me gain a level of empathy towards these individuals that I never had before.

"As clichéd as it may sound, this was an incredible learning experience and the ANU is truly one of the best places to enter competitions like this."

Mr Munagala said there were so many good reasons to enter competitions like the Lions Oratory.

"ANU has such an incredibly supportive environment that inspires you to explore new aspects of yourself that you have never really realised," he said.

For more than 20 years, undergraduates from across ANU have taken part in the Lions Oratory Competition. Lions Club Woden member Manikkam Reddy started the competition in 1994 to help tertiary students build their confidence in public speaking as they look towards their future careers.