District 23 Director Tracy Thomason give the new club banner to UTEP Toastmasters President Saad Sheikh.
In the summer of 2014, Shannon Osborne Freemyer, Leadership Program Coordinator for the University of Texas at El Paso, pitched Toastmasters as an initiative to help students with their public speaking skills, leadership development, and confidence.
The club held two demo meetings in the fall of 2014 and then began meeting regularly until they achieved charter strength in 2015 and filed the final charter paperwork on December 1, 2015. When asked what lesson they learned during the chartering, Shannon said, “How to be patient and persistent to get students interested.”
“We are excited to be part of the team here at the University of Texas at El Paso,” said Saad Sheikh, the club’s first president.
To help promote the club, they approached professors and departments to get buy in for the new club. Many helped by promoting the club. In addition, they used posters around campus, campus bulletins, listserv announcements, and the students used their networking and communication skills to approach other student organizations.
The club meets in the UTEP Union building because of ease of access for the students and the professional atmosphere.
Stepping in to help the club get launched were experienced Toastmasters Russell Booth, Santokh Kalkat, and Gbenga Asedeko. All three also attended the club’s charter ceremony on February 11, 2016, along with District 23 Director Tracy Thomason and Club Growth Director Jenny Zappone.
UTEP Toastmasters Charter Ceremony
