Amy Foster, a junior from Wellington, Fla., is double majoring in Communication Studies and English. For the second year in a row, Foster won perhaps the most unique “speaker award” in intercollegiate debate -- a velvet painting. The 2005 award is a toreador painting, a nice addition to the velvet Rotweiler she received in 2004 as the top speaker at the same tournament.

Who is this gifted speaker? In Amy Foster's Own Words:

I've gotten all As for grades in college except for Shakespeare which I got an A-. Right now I've got 14 hours (8 science, 3 English linguistics, and 3 ancient literature). I'm majoring in English and Communication Studies (emphasis in Interpersonal and Public). My minor in the Classics will be completed this semester. I'm president of the Classics Clubs and for the past three semesters I was secretary.

As for debate ... Debate is the reason I chose to come to UMKC. When I was choosing schools I picked UMKC over the University of Texas at Austin (where only 20 percent of those accepted were allowed to be out of state) because of the opportunities and scholarships awarded to me at UMKC. If I was just looking to go to an Ivy League school, I probably could have. However, I was looking for the whole package, which included the ability to travel with a nationally competitive debate team while still getting an education.

How many people get the experience to enjoy school, travel, and make friends across the U.S.? As much as I love a lot of my classes, I would have to say that debate is more than likely the most educational and exciting activity that a student can take. I think that the recent rise in novice debaters is a great testament to that. When you can convince a bunch of medical and business school people with already full plates to give up days of their lives to go and debate about our foreign policies with China that says something about the power of an activity and the people involved in it.