Dear Fran
I'm glad to hear from your letter. I already known your friend's problem. I came up with some solutions here.
First, you should tell Mei she is a good student, she is very smart, let her not worry about English speech contest. You could take her to join an English club, make her talk with new people still she does not feel shy. Second, she could also do more practice, your classmates should encourage her. This could help her relax. I think if you do that, you could make your friend Mei do better.
knowledgeable