Consultant Interns
The Speaking Center recruits and trains selected undergraduate students to serve as peer consultants in the Center every fall and spring semester. Consultants hold regular office hours staffing the Speaking Center and take part in a weekly seminar class on public speaking, communication skills development, facilitation and consulting.
Speaking Center consultants receive academic internship credit for their time commitment.
Apply to be a Consultant!
APPLICATIONS for fall '23 Speaking Center Consultants will be available during the second half of the spring semester
Details and a link to the application are posted on the "Internship Opportunity" tab of this webpage. We welcome inquiries about the position! Talk with a current consultant or send an email if you have any questions.
Senior Consultants
Senior Consultants are undergraduates who serve in a variety of roles that incorporate oral communication skills development. They support first-semester consultants and help staff the Speaking Center while also providing outreach to the campus community. When available, senior consultants facilitate workshops about oral communication and presentation skills to a variety of audiences including student organizations, student leader groups, classrooms and others.
The Speaking Center senior consultants have all served at least one semester as a consultant and have successfully completed the Speaking Center consultant seminar.
Meet the Spring 2023 Speaking Center Consultant Team!
Abner Leung - Senior consultant
Year: Senior
Major(s)/Minor(s): Theatre
Hometown: Brooklyn, New York
Why are you working as a Senior Consultant? I get to continue to help other students in this position while also strengthening
my relationship with the Speaking Center.
Why should students visit the Speaking Center? The Speaking Center is a fun and welcoming space to practice public speaking and
presenting!
Public Speaking Advice: Be engaged with your topic and audience. It's a great energy to feed off of :)
Celia Nolan - consultant
Year: First-Year
Major(s)/Minor(s): Accounting
Hometown: Saratoga Springs, New York
Why are you working as a Consultant? I have strong ties to poetry recitation and artistic oral presentations. I want people
to see that public speaking doesn't have to be so professional or academic based-
there are so many ways you can adapt your speaking style!
Why should students visit the Speaking Center? Even if speaking seems little to do with your major/classes, when you can public
speak confidently, everything else seems so much easier. You open doors for yourself
you'd never even think of!
Public Speaking Advice: Confident body language goes a long way in adding emphasis and legitimacy to what
you are saying. Don't be afraid to move around and gesture!
Christine Lin - Consultant
Year: First-Year
Major(s)/Minors: Business Administration (intended concentrations in Marketing and Business Analytics),
with a minor in Mathematics
Hometown: Queens, New York
Why are you working as a Consultant? The past months of my freshman year have taught me a lot about the value of oral
communication skills; I've received countless tips from professors, Speaking Center
Consultants and mentors. Being a Consultant allows me to share with others the advice
I've been given. Personally, helping others has always been mutually beneficial for
me; it makes me happy, and I always learn something new. As an extrovert, I reall;y
enjoy meeting new people and forming new connections. Moreover, I will improve my
own speaking abilities through advising others. Since I'm looking to concentrate in
marketing and consulting, the added experience will be beneficial for my future career
aspirations.
Why should students visit the Speaking Center? The Speaking Center gives students a place to receive advice and feedback on activities
that involve oral communication. However, its impact is much larger than helping students
improve their speaking skills. It prepares students for the career field where communication
skills are vital for interviews, networking, internships, presentations, and job positions.
In addition, the advice offered by Consultants can improve various aspects of a student’s
life since it is also applicable within social, school, and family environments.
Public Speaking Advice: Personally, I've always had trouble with filler words, something I know many struggle
with. My tip is actually one given to me by a previous Speaking Center Consultant:
slowing down and taking pauses to think and compose a sentence in place of filler
words; no one will penalize you for pausing and it could even be beneficial as it
allows your audience time to retain your information.
Ella rimland - Consultant
Year: First-Year
Major(s)/Minor(s): Psychology
Hometown: Irvington, New York
Why are you working as a Consultant? I want to minimize people's fear about public speaking so they can feel good presenting
in front of others. I would also like to learn how to improve my own skills.
Why should students visit the Speaking Center? Students should visit to put themselves in the best position to feel confident in
their presenting skills and presentation itself. An extra set of eyes and ears can
help greatly!
Public Speaking Advice: Always take a deep breath before presenting, to center yourself.
Emily Mocyk - Senior consultant
Year: Sophomore
Major(s)/Minor(s): Biochemistry, on the Pre-Pharmacy track
Hometown: Jordan, New York
Why are you working as a Senior Consultant? I chose to work as a Senior Consultant because I had a lot of fun working as a Consultant
and I want to continue to meet new people and share my love for public speaking!
Why should students visit the Speaking Center? Students should visit the Speaking Center because it is a safe space to improve your
public speaking skills.
Public Speaking Advice: You are not alone if public speaking makes you anxious! Practicing will help to ease
your nerves.
Gino DeLeone - Consultant
Year: Sophomore
Major(s)/Minor(s): Industrial Engineering and Systems Science, with a minor in Japanese
Hometown: Elmira, New York
Why are you working as a Consultant? I want to help people improve not just the quality of their work, but their confidence
in presenting that work. Plus, being exposed to a wide variety of different topics
and styles of presenting is always an interesting and valuable experience!
Why should students visit the Speaking Center? Almost everyone has experienced some level of discomfort when it comes to presenting,
public speaking, et cetera. Having someone analyze your material and offer quality
feedback helps alleviate that discomfort and can make the whole process that much
more enjoyable; it's really an "everything to gain, nothing to lose" scenario.
Public Speaking Advice: Practice doesn't always make perfect - but perfect practice does!
Jacob Yots - consultant
Year: Senior
Major(s)/Minor(s): Psychology
Hometown: Buffalo, New York
Why are you working as a Consultant? I am working as a Consultant to improve my public speaking skills and to create a
safe and accepting environment for everyone else.
Why should students visit the Speaking Center? Students should visit to improve speaking skills in an academic, professional or personal
context.
Public Speaking Advice: Believing you will do well is half the preparation.
Jared Richman - Consultant
Year: Sophomore
Major(s)/Minor(s): Biology (Pre-Med)
Hometown: Plainview, New York
Why are you working as a Consultant? I want to eliminate my fear of public speaking while helping people improve theirs.
Why should students visit the Speaking Center? Students should visit because public speaking is a lifelong skill. What better way
to enhance that form of communication than to practice at a place specifically designed
for that?
Public Speaking Advice: For slide presentations, try to minimize the number of words on each slide to keep
the audience engaged in what you're saying.
Jeremy Goodman - consultant
Year: Sophomore
Major(s)/Minor(s): Psychology
Hometown: Queens, New York
Why are you working as a Consultant? I want to get experience in consulting and improve my own public speaking skills.
Why should students visit the Speaking Center? Students should visit because it is one of many underutilized resources for students
at ÂÌñÉç and because presentations are unavoidable and often very nerve-racking.
Public Speaking Advice: I would suggest practicing more calm/not-distracting body language and focusing
on speaking clearly. Practice beforehand would help these things.
Jordan Walsh - Senior consultant
Year: Sophomore
Major(s)/Minor(s): Linguistics with a minor in Speech and Hearing Sciences
Hometown: Poughkeepsie, New York
Why are you working as a Senior Consultant? Working at the Speaking Center last semester taught me a lot about my own public speaking
skills and how to help others grow in this area. I am excited to come back as a Senior
Consultant to further build on these experiences. I also look forward to collaborating
with my fellow Senior Consultants as we had such a great time working together as
Consultant interns in the fall!
Why should students visit the Speaking Center? The Speaking Center is a great environment for students who want to improve on their
public speaking skills. We understand that public speaking can be difficult and nerve-wracking,
and we want to help students become more comfortable with it. Practicing is the best
way to do this, and being able to receive feedback from students who understand the
position you are in is a great opportunity for improvement.
Public Speaking Advice: Pay attention to your body language and try not to be tense; relaxing your body will
help to relax your mind!
Kageethna Kumarasivam - consultant
Year: Junior
Major(s)/Minor(s): Human Development
Hometown: Bronx, New York
Why are you working as a Consultant? I hope to make new connections and support students especially in an area that can
be nerve-racking for many.
Why should students visit the Speaking Center? Peer support is offered which can be helpful for students wanting advice from people
just like them.
Public Speaking Advice: Don’t be afraid to be nervous as you’re not alone. Keep practicing and you’ll do
great.
Keiko Waters - Consultant
Year: Junior
Major(s)/Minor(s): Philosophy, Politics and Law
Hometown: Putnam Valley, New York
Why are you working as a Consultant? I want to help other students gain the confidence needed to be an effective public
speaker, and learn how powerful of a skill it can be!
Why should students visit the Speaking Center? The Speaking Center is a great resource on campus, and gives students the opportunity
to receive feedback in a comfortable environment.
Public Speaking Advice: Be prepared! Taking the time to practice and review all your materials will not only
elevate your presentation, but make you more confident when you present.
Madelyn Hoskins - Senior consultant
Year: Sophomore
Major(s)/Minor(s): Biology
Hometown: Endwell, New York
Why are you working as a Senior Consultant? I chose to work as a Senior Consultant because I think that the Speaking Center is
a great resource on campus that is so positive and rewarding to all students. The
students and staff at the Speaking Center are so great. Overall, I am excited to help
the Speaking Center grow!
Why should students visit the Speaking Center? Students should visit because it is such a positive and rewarding resource! It is
a safe space that is great for working on all aspects of public speaking. It is so
beneficial and helps so many students improve their public speaking skills!
Public Speaking Advice: Turn your fears of public speaking into confidence!
Monserrat Perez - Consultant
Year: Senior
Major(s)/Minor(s): Double major in Human Development and Sociology, with a minor in Human Rights
Hometown: Queens, New York
Why are you working as a Consultant? I thoroughly enjoy helping out other students be the best versions of themselves.
Considering public speaking is such a large part of our college experience, I want
to help ease students anxieties and boost their confidence!
Why should students visit the Speaking Center? Students should visit because you can always further refine your skills. If you feel
that you struggle with public speaking, or even if you feel like you are doing perfectly,
it is always worth coming so you may practice and hone those skills.
Public Speaking Advice: My biggest tip is to not write all your information on your slides/presentation format.
Doing so makes it far too easy for the audience to lose focus as they read line by
line and it forces you to read from the slides, which may create a dry presentation.
Try condensed bullet points and you will find your presentation flows a lot better!
Samuel Ehrlinger - consultant
Year: Junior
Major(s)/Minor(s): History and Philosophy major, with a minor in Education
Hometown: Farmington, New York
Why are you working as a Consultant? Public speaking is something that I have had many opportunities to improve upon.
I believe that the best way to improve is to give presentations, and that many classes
to not give opportunities to do so. The Speaking Center provides one with many opportunities
to do this. The Speaking Center also provides a lot of great feedback regarding the
presentation you gave and for your public speaking skills as a whole. I would have
recommended the Speaking Center to any of my friends who had a presentation to give,
and when I saw the opportunity to work there, it took two seconds to decide to apply.
Why should students visit the Speaking Center? The Speaking Center provides a wonderful opportunity to get feedback on how to improve
a presentation that you have to give. Not only that, though; the Speaking Center gives
plenty of advice to improve your presentation skills at large. If you plan to go into
a career that involves presenting or communication (and all careers do to some degree),
a visit to the Speaking Center is a must.
Public Speaking Advice: The best advice I could give is to incorporate humor into your presentation. Humor
is a wonderful tool that can add so much to a presentation, and I find it unfortunate
it is not utilized more.
Yuki Wada - consultant
Year: Junior
Major(s)/Minor(s): Dual Degree: Business Administration (with concentrations in MIS/Business Analytics)
and Computer Science
Hometown: Olean, New York
Why are you working as a Consultant? I wanted to take the opportunity to both uplift students' ability to communicate in
the ÂÌñÉç community and also improve upon my own skills as a speaker. These skills
are not only valuable in every field professionally, but every aspect of life.
Why should students visit the Speaking Center? The Speaking Center is a safe space for students to try, fail, and try again. Here,
you will be supported by Consultants who care and hope for your success.
Public Speaking Advice: My best advice on public speaking is to care about connecting with your audience -
you have a story to tell. Prioritize your eye contact, breathing, tone, and body language
over memorizing what you have to say.