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Andrew Eilola is thrilled to be directing his third SFI! 2022 marks the 18th year he’s been involved with forensics and his 12th coaching at or directing a summer institute. He started as the Director of Forensics at Bradley in Fall 2019 and is very happy with the home he’s found in Peoria. Prior to Bradley, he was the Interim Director of Forensics at George Mason University as well as the Assistant Director. He has BAs in sociology and communication from Concordia College in MN. He has a master’s degree in health communication and is currently working on his PhD dissertation from GMU. As a competitor, in persuasive speaking, Andrew was an AFA Finalist, LE Norton Champion, MN State Champion, and Interstate Oratory Finalist. While at Mason, Andrew coached 12 AFA finalists in persuasion & informative since 2014, including two national champions. He has also had the privilege of working with numerous state and national finalists while working with Moorhead High School in Minnesota, an NSDA speech school of excellence. While he focuses on Public Address at camp, he has a passion for all speech events and can’t wait to work with every student at SFI. Andrew attended speech camp when he was in high school and credits it as one of the reasons he continues to coach and teach years later. He hopes to provide a similar welcoming, fun and educational experience to all his students!
Vance Pierce graduated from Bradley in 2003 and 2005 with a bachelors in Speech Communication and later a Masters in Leadership in Human Services Administration. He currently serves as the Associate Director for the Center for Center Student Involvement at the University of Illinois at Chicago working with over 400 student groups, as well as the Director of UIC’s Speech team.
At Bradley, Vance placed in several national final rounds of competition including oral interpretation (poetry) and limited preparation (extemp and impromptu). Additionally, Vance has over a dozen semi-final and quarterfinal rounds at nationals in interp, public address and limited preparation and placed in the top 10 overall speakers in the nation his senior year. Vance is veteran to the SFI and looks forward to exciting summer on the Hilltop.
Amanda Colbert is a wearer of many hats - mom, speech coach, doula, five-time national champion, and interp genie. An avid people watcher, Amanda believes interp is a tool to connect and relate to one another through empathy. She relishes any opportunity to empower students to advocate for themselves and their passions. In the spare time she doesn't have, Amanda would enjoy writing poetry, reading non-fiction, sewing, crafting, studying labor and delivery, camping, hiking, and analyzing cinema with her film-geek husband. Instead, she runs around after her two toddlers, scours the internet for the coolest new literature, rewashes the same load of laundry because she forgot it was in there, washes endless dishes, and daydreams about innovative duo blocking. Amanda lives in Parts Unknown with her best friend, their two kidlets, and a wealth of experience thanks to this activity.