CCSD graduate brings home Oratorical World Championship

Caleb Smith went to St. Louis, MO to simply represent his family, the West Ashley Optimist Club, school, and state to the best of his ability at the Optimist International Oratorical World Championships. He did that, and more. Smith, who graduated from Charleston County School of the Arts (SOA) this spring, won the 2018 world title on June 29 at Saint Louis University’s Center for Global Citizenship.

The two-day competition, which featured 54 students from a total of eight different countries, started on June 28 with the nine regional contests: Global Region, Northeast and Great Lakes Region, Great Plains Region, MidAtlantic Region, Southeast Region, Southwest Region, Middle America Region, West Coast Region, and Saint Lawrence Region. Smith bested six other students in the regional round to advance to the next stage. An official with Optimist International Club shared with Smith’s family members the Southeast Region was one of the most competitive groups of this year’s event.

On the morning of the second day, the Region Championship winners were announced; forty minutes later, the speaking order for the World Championship was determined. Once again, Smith delivered an impressive speech, and become the first Optimist International Oratorical World Champion from South Carolina.

This is the third year of the World Championships, but Optimist International has sponsored speaking contests at the local and state level since 1928.

Smith earned $15,000 in scholarship money for his victory on the world stage, and $5,000 for winning in the regional round. He already received a $2,500 scholarship check for winning the state title in May.

The topic for this year’s competition was “What are My Roots of Optimism.” Smith actually started this journey by winning at the club (local) level when he delivered his speech at West Ashley High School. He advanced to the zone level, then to the district (state) level, and eventually, the World Championships in St. Louis.