For Emma Walker, a freshman communication studies major, eight months of hard work and practice led to a history-making result.

Walker placed second in the nation for Prose Interpretation in the National Forensics Association’s Tournament.

This makes her the only Eastern student in over 15 years to be a finalist in the competition, held this year at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.

“There were immediate tears the second my team and I found out that I had finaled,” she said. “I was born and raised in Charleston and have loved EIU since I was little, so to be a part of its history is one of the biggest honors of my life.”

Walker competed from Thursday, April 13 through Monday, April 17 in the Prose Interpretation category, which involves reading a 10-minute story edited from a book.

The piece she chose to perform was from Choosing Hope: Moving Forward from Life’s Darkest Hours by Kaitlin Roig-DeBellis.

In the speech, Walker portrayed a teacher who saved her 16 students during the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting of 2012.

Walker said the piece she recited was emotional, considering the fact that it had to do with the deaths of students and faculty.

“I spent a lot of time working on the script and thinking about the character I played,” Walker said. “This piece has been a work-in-progress since I first competed with it in September.”

Becoming first finalist was a dream come true, Walker said.

When Walker was announced as first finalist, Walker’s mother, who had driven over seven hours to surprise her daughter, danced with joy and tears of happiness.

Walker said she is grateful for teammates Austin Mejdrich, Cheyenne Flores and Edwyn Mitchell as well as coach Sara Gronstal, a communication studies professor.

“I am so proud to be a part of this small but mighty team,” she said.

The team placed seventh overall in President’s Division II Team Sweepstakes, and Mejdrich was a National Quarter-Finalist in Persuasive Speaking.

Raquael Logan can be reached at 581-2812 or rrlogan@eiu.edu.