Belmont senior Alisa Osborne has found a way to expertly intertwine her major and her advocacy as a member of the University’s forensics team. Now a decorated speaker in a multitude of events, Osborne will showcase her skills on the national stage as she was named to the American Forensic Association’s “All-American Team”, an honor bestowed to only nine speech and debate students in the nation.
Osborne was selected to represent District 6, a collection of states including Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, North Carolina, South Carolina, Mississippi and Kentucky. The merits of an “All-American” are not only limited to forensic achievements, but also factor in academic excellence and a commitment to bettering their community.
“The honor means a lot of responsibility,” Osborne said. “I know there are people across my district who are counting on me, but it means a lot to me personally to be recognized for the things that I do. As a double major in addition to participating in activities such as the Speech and Debate team, sometimes it feels like I’m just working with my head down all the time without any recognition. I don’t need the recognition, but it means the world to me to get it here.” 
Osborne is double majoring in public health and music, regularly incorporating her studies and personal experiences into the speeches she crafts and executes for the judges at different tournaments.
“I talk a lot about racism in the medical industry because it’s something that has definitely affected my family,” she explained. “I have family members who have had miscarriages and told their gynecologists that something was wrong beforehand, just for the doctors not to listen. Both my mother and father have had instances where they have been to the doctor and it has taken forever to be diagnosed or diagnosed correctly. Spreading awareness about these issues is really important for me because it could affect me in my future.”
According to her, the most difficult part about forensics is rarely the feeling of focused eyes from everyone in the room or the judges primed to scrutinize a piece that that took hours compose and memorize, ready to award or deduct points with a second’s notice. Instead, it is often most challenging for Osborne to defend her positions rooted in industry racism and advocate for herself.
“There are some people who don’t agree with me,” she continued. “I’ve been in rooms where people are rolling their eyes when I start speaking, but I just have to keep going. At the end of the day, I’m advocating for myself and for what I know is right. I have the research to back it up and it’s my job to make sure it is heard whether people want to agree with it or not.”
Less than two weeks prior to receiving the invitation to the All-American Team, Osborne took home first place in dramatic interpretation, first place in duo interpretation and finished as the second Top Speaker overall when Belmont hosted the National Christian College Forensics Invitational (NCCFI) and the Tennessee Intercollegiate Forensics Association (TIFA) tournaments on campus. Now, she still has work to do as her collegiate forensics career draws to a close.
As an “All-American,” Osborne will compete in the 2024 American Forensic Association National Speech Tournament at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire from April 6-8. She will go head-to-head with the other district representatives as she not only embodies District 6, but also personifies Belmont University.
“I think about it every day,” she smiled. “We go to about three or four tournaments each semester, but the other schools in our districts like Alabama or Western Kentucky go to eight or nine, and they’re going to New York and California — we stay on the east side. Lots of those kids have scholarships and basically get paid to be on the team. But I know I can still show up and represent Belmont in the best way I know how and it means so much to me.”
What is Belmont’s great equalizer? According to Osborne, it’s Ryan Greenawalt, the team’s director and mentor.
“He’s always looking at videos of other speakers at nationals and doing current research,” Osborne explained. “He will send articles or suggest new, relevant information to add to our speeches. He looks at how the people at Bama or WKU are speaking and shows us how we can do it even better. He’s a visionary and I would not be able to even dream of the things he comes up with. I’m grateful to have an amazing coach who is guiding me every step of the way.”
Osborne and Greenawalt have their collective sight set on a first-place finish at the national tournament, something Osborne believes she can achieve, just in time for graduation.
“It’s my last one ever, so I’ll have it make it count,” she concluded.