Elsie Praeger-Goller: a passion for forensics

Seventeen-year-old Elsie Praeger-Goller is making quite a name for herself at MHCC. Before she emceed the Associated Student Government (ASG) presidential debates on Tuesday, she captured five trophies for the MHCC forensics team at its most recent tournament: four first-place trophies, and one second-place award.

“It’s the one place I feel comfortable,” she said about speaking in front of a group. “I hate being in the audience.”

Praeger-Goller fell in love with public speaking in high school when she gave some speeches and a classmate told her she “was too loud to not be in debate,” she said.

“The time commitment is the hardest part. I have to remember to make time for other things,” she said, adding that she considers forensics her job.

Members of the forensics team practice six hours a week, and according to Praeger-Goller, tournaments can take up a whole weekend. This year, destinations have included Missouri, Los Angeles, Washington and all over Oregon, she said.

MHCC is in first place for community colleges in the state “because we have awesome coaches and an awesome team,” said Praeger-Goller.

She said her own self-confidence continues to grow.  “ I don’t get nervous. Once you’ve done it three or four times, it’s like, ‘Okay, let’s do it again.’

Liz Kinnaman, interim director of the forensics team, showered praise on her young competitor.

“It has been our pleasure to meet and work with such a vivacious and energetic student,” Kinnaman said. “Elsie has a lot of great things ahead of her, and we are pleased to help her on her way.”

The best part of competing in forensics, Praeger-Goller said, is the amount of learning. The education gained in 20 minutes of debate is “more than I get in a three-hour lecture. Not only are you learning both sides (of an argument) but you’re learning the history, politics, economics, and then you condense that into a five-to-seven-minute speech.”

She and her family moved to Oregon from Anaheim, Calif., only a few weeks before fall term this year. She now says – to her own astonishment – that if given the choice, she would rather live here.

“I miss my friends and it’s cold and you can never do your hair because it just gets all frizzy, but everyone is so nice,” she said. “My neighbors came over and introduced themselves and gave me cookies!” She added that she didn’t really know any of her neighbors where she grew up.

Praeger-Goller quickly got on the fast-track, academically. She began taking classes at Fullerton College when she was 14. “I did high school during the day, went home, did homework and ate dinner, did volunteer work and then went to college, came home and did homework, went to sleep, repeat,” she said.

Her reason for taking on so much at such a young age? “I wanted to get involved and do other things,” she said modestly, as if it were the most natural thing in the world to want to double her homework load and volunteer.

She taught scrapbooking classes at the Braille Institute, was a national delegate for the Girl Scouts and did story time and puppet shows at the Yorba Linda library.

Praeger-Goller is an education major and hopes to be an elementary school teacher, she said. “I love children and talking in front of people. I truly value education and really respect the career.”

For the remainder of the time here at MHCC, Praeger-Goller plans to take on new responsibilities in ASG. She is currently Elections Committee marketing coordinator, but plans to be part of the executive cabinet next year while continuing to debate and pursue her degree requirements.

Advocate Staff