Arts & Entertainment

Gabriel Gonzalvez Wins $21K in Speech Contest

Theater arts experience helped Gonzalvez win competition—he'll use scholarship money to continue theater studies at Loyola Marymount University.

A few days after Cupertino's Gabriel Gonzalvez graduated from Archbishop Mitty High School, he stood on stage and delivered a winning speech to a banquet room full of Lions Club governors.

The theme was "Enforcing Our Borders, States vs. Federal Rights." He argued that Arizona's crackdown on illegal immigration through Senate Bill 1070 was not unconstitutional, nor did it overstep its bounds. In fact, it enforces provisions already put forth by the federal government.

With his speech, he wanted to tear down misconceptions of Arizona's bill, said Gonzalvez.

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"A lot of their efforts have been misrepresented by the media," he said. "I really just want people to understand the laws that govern them."

Gonzalvez didn't hone his skills from the speech and debate club, but he does have stage experience. He's been nominated for best supporting actor for his role as Aldopho in The Drowsy Chaperone, a production of his high school.

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The $21,000 scholarship he won will go toward his college education at Loyola Marymount University, where he plans to study theater arts starting this fall. 

He thanked his parents, Martin and Sandra Gonzalvez of Cupertino.

The scholarship chairwoman at Archbishop Mitty, Lauren Matusich, told Gonzalvez about the statewide student speech contest held by the Lions Club Multiple District 4 and encouraged him to enter. He out-competed his peers at the club level, then moved up to the zone level, followed by region, district and area two, for which he took the title. 

On Saturday, officers from his sponsoring club, the West San Jose-Campbell Lions Club, saw him beat out contestants from three other areas of the state. It was the second year in a row. Last year, Miles Witthaus of Westmont High School took the title.


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