Columbus teen overcomes speech disability to win state speaking skills championship
Despite winning a state championship in speaking skills while having a speech impediment, Emaureia Mathis doesn’t consider her disability defeated.
“I don’t think I overcame it just yet,” she told the Ledger-Enquirer. “I think I’m still working on it and toward it because I still mess up my words and pronounce some differently.”
Still, as a senior at Spencer High School this year, Emaureia walked into a room with two judges, delivered a four-minute speech, and wowed them enough to win first place in speaking skills at the 2026 Georgia Health Occupations Students of America State Leadership Conference in Atlanta.
Emaureia’s victory didn’t erase the insecurity she has carried for years. But it did mark a momentous moment to demonstrate her progress — evidence that she can persevere with grit and grace even when her voice doesn’t express her thoughts as smoothly as she wants.
“Getting up and talking in front of people because I knew I couldn’t pronounce my words right, I would just be embarrassed,” she said. “That’s why sometimes I don’t really participate.”
Bethany Collins, chairwoman of the Career, Technical and Agricultural Education department at Spencer and the school’s HOSA club adviser, has seen Emaureia’s reluctance to speak shrink as her confidence grew.
“She has come so much so far out of her shell since I’ve had her in the beginning to where she is now,” Collins told the L-E.
Spencer’s HOSA chapter is one of fewer than 10 in the state (out of more than 300 chapters) to earn Silver Elite status, Collins said.
Speech therapy and being misunderstood
Emaureia received speech therapy when she started school but stopped in third grade.
“They thought I did a good job with the classes,” she said, “but I was still having (the disability).”
Emaureia explained her speech impediment as have difficulty with her “pronunciation and reading and comprehending words.”
Being misunderstood has been frustrating for Emaureia.
“It was just hard growing up, trying to pronounce words, and then people can’t understand what I’m trying to say,” she said. “… But I’m glad that I can now say a little bit more than I used to.”
Entering the speaking skills competition
In December, Emaureia mulled which event to enter at the HOSA state conference. She initially planned to compete in medical assisting. But after Emaureia didn’t finish in the region’s top five on the medical assisting test to qualify for the state conference, Collins proposed another category for her: speaking skills.
“I wanted her to push out of her comfort zone,” Collins said.
Emaureia didn’t like the idea at first
“I didn’t think I could go up there and have a speech and make it sound clear,” she said.
Encouragement from Collins, however, changed her thinking.
“She just gave me confidence and motivation to try,” Emaureia said.
Champions of change
For this year’s speaking skills competition, participants wrote and presented a four-minute speech about the theme “Champions of Change: 50 years of HOSA Future Health Professionals.”
Emaureia summarized the message of her speech.
“Even though that we were too scared to try or too scared to even go and compete, we still can do it,” she said. “And even though that we’re young, we still are leaders.”
In fact, before the competition in March at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis, Emaureia practiced her speech so much — almost every day for about two months — she barely looked at her note cards as she spoke to the judges.
So those cards were “like her security blanket,” Collins said, “… just something to hold onto.”
Waiting and delivering
Emaureia recalled the anxiety of waiting for her turn to deliver her speech.
“I was nervous,” she said. “I kept looking at my cards and kept pronouncing and making sure I was good to go before I got in there.”
Emaureia still felt nervous when she entered the competition room, but then she told herself, “I got this.”
So, although she “messed up a little bit,” Emaureia said, she didn’t stop.
“Even if you make a little mistake,” she said, “you can still win.”
“Excellent job”
Emaureia said the judges told her “excellent job” when she finished her speech.
“It felt good because it was really hard for me to just even go up there,” she said. “I think I did a good job.”
But she had to wait until the next day for the results.
Emaureia went into the awards ceremony hoping to place anywhere in the top five out of the approximately 30 competitors she saw in her category.
When she heard her name announced as the winner, “I was surprised,” Emaureia said. “… I always thought that maybe somebody was better than me.”
What changed
Emaureia said the state championship didn’t make her struggle disappear — but it proved what she can do through her struggle.
“Even though I have this speech impediment,” she said, “I still overcame it a little bit.”
Her victory also boosted her everyday confidence.
“Now I’m even more confident to go and talk to someone and even do this interview,” she said with a smile.
Her teacher beamed with pride.
“I think she’s shown tremendous resilience, really, with everything,” Collins said. “And I think that’s also what makes her achievement so powerful.”
Collins cherishes the memory of watching Emaureia succeed.
“It makes my heart full,” she said. “It makes me want to cry happy tears. … It’s like, this is why I’m here.”
Emaureia credits her mother as well as Collins for refusing to let her quit.
“Their words mean a lot to me,” she said.
Looking ahead
Emaureia said she plans to attend Columbus State University and major in psychology. She intends for her experience with disability to help her help others.
“I just want to be somebody that can care for people and help as much as needed,” she said. “… Once I get a little experience in psychology, maybe I’ll open up my own community center for people with mental health struggles.”
Until then, Emaureia hopes her story can inspire anyone who seeks light amid darkness.
“Just because you have something that probably you think is an embarrassment, it actually can be something that you can look up to and be proud about,” she said. “You can overcome it, and you can still make things possible even with those struggles. … Don’t overthink it. Just go with the flow and practice it or even just keep saying it.”
And don’t struggle alone, Emaureia advises.
“Have that one person that you can look up to or that can motivate you to keep going,” she said.
The rest of the journey, Emaureia insists, comes down to willpower.
“Even if you struggle with anything,” she said, “you can still overcome it if you want to do it.”
Her speech
Here is the speech Emaureia wrote and delivered to win her state title:
Have you ever stopped and asked yourself, “Can I really make a difference?”
I used to ask myself that too.
When I first joined HOSA, I was just a student with big dreams and a lot of doubts. I didn’t wear a white coat. I haven’t saved lives yet. But I learned something important — change doesn’t start when you become a professional. Change starts when you decide to care.
For 50 years, HOSA has been a champion of change. It began with students who believed young people could shape the future of healthcare. They believed learning, leadership, and service could change lives. And they were right.
HOSA is more than an organization. It is a place where future health professionals find their voice. It teaches us how to speak up for patients, stand up for our communities, and step forward when the world needs help.
Today, healthcare is changing fast. We face new diseases, mental health struggles, and unequal access to care. These problems can feel overwhelming. But HOSA reminds us that we are not too young to help. We are not too small to lead.
As HOSA members, we are champions of change when we show kindness, when we listen, and when we learn. We are champions when we volunteer, compete, and grow — even when we are scared to try.
I may be 17 years old, but I know this: the future of healthcare is not just about science and skills. It is about the heart. It is about people who care enough to make things better.
As we celebrate 50 years of HOSA, we are not just honoring the past. We are building the future. A future where we speak with confidence, lead with compassion, and change lives — one patient, one community, and one moment at a time.
We are HOSA.
And we are the champions of change.
