Miguel Sebastian from Ganesha High School in Pomona was the winner of the recent Student Speaker Contest for the Pomona Host Lions Club. He moves on to the Lions District 4-L4 Foothill Region Zone B contest where he will compete with the winner from the Ontario Host Lions Club.

Sebastian, a second lieutenant with Ganesha’s ROTC, won $100. He plans to pursue a degree in psychology in college.

Three other speakers competed against Sebastian and they each received $25.

They were Ioannis Anastasopoulos from Diamond Ranch High School, Paul Chhit from the Fremont Academy and Marleni Munguia from Garey High School.

The Pomona club’s annual contest is a Lions tradition dating back 80 years. Each Lions Club holds its contest by late February, then the zone, region, district and area contests are held with the state final contest on June 3, 2017. The winner of the state-wide contest receives an accumulation of $21,000 in scholarship funds.

According to the judges (all from outside of the Pomona club), Sebastian delivered the best speech on the topic “Is the Right to Privacy a Threat to Our National Security?” Pomona Host holds its contest with students from schools in the city of Pomona including students in the Pomona Unified School District. Directing the contest this year was Morgan Brown, executive director of the Associated Pomona Teachers union and a Lions Club member.

The judges were Kathleen McKenzie, a retired teacher; LizBeth Lucca, artistic director and founder of the Pomona Repertory Opera Company; and Benny Ayala, district representative for State Senator Connie Leyva.

Assisting Brown were tellers Ricky Ortiz and Clark Selters and timers Steve King, Anne Henderson and Michael Da Rosa, all Pomona Host Lions Club members.

– Submitted by Pomona Host Lions Club