AN Enniskillen school has said they’re “immensely proud” of their student Kiera Hoogerboord who won the Northern Ireland Soroptimist Public Speaking Competition.
After winning the Fermanagh title, following in the footsteps of her mother Anne who won the local crown alongside Lorraine McGoldrick, Kiera went one step further by winning the NI contest in Hillsborough.
Mount Lourdes Grammar School congratulated their Year 13 student on her success in the Northern Ireland Final, who used the platform speak openly and passionately about an important issue.
“We are immensely proud of Year 13 student Kiera [Hoogerboord],” a statement from the Enniskillen school read.
“Kiera delivered a powerful and thought provoking speech entitled ‘Does Social Media Promote Intolerance and Misogyny’?
“She also impressed judges in the extempore round, speaking for two minutes on a topic set on the day.
“With the theme “Hear me out”, Kiera’s humorous take on cyclists had the audience laughing long after she left the hall.”
The Fermanagh student now looks forward to speaking at the Soroptimist International Joint Conference in Drogheda in May.
Keira claimed the top prize in the Fermanagh heat of the Soroptimist Public Speaking Competition, with fellow Year 13 student Sorcha McCauley finishing runner up in the local contest.
