Bluffton University

Oratorical contest results

The C. Henry Smith Peace Oratorical Contest is hosted each spring by the communications department program.

2025 c. Henry Smith Oratorical contest

The following students spoke on peace and violence:

• First place: Mya Vernon ’27, Toledo, Ohio, “Protecting Immigrants From ICE.”
• Second place: Coen North ’26, Denver, Colo., “Considering the Lilies: Making Peace Through Practices of Contentment”
• Third place: Micah Dodson ‘27, Wooster, Ohio, “Building Impossible Bridges in an Impossible World”
• Madeline Franks ’26, Cardington, Ohio, “A Light in the Darkness: Peace Churches’ Humanitarian Role During the Ukraine-Russia War”
• Kennedy Parker ’25, Lima, Ohio, “Finding Your Identity in Christ, Not Competition.
• Carter Ritchey ’25, Delphos, Ohio, “Fostering Social Cohesion Through AI-Driven Community Engagement in Peacebuilding.”
• Zane Sarcheck ’25, Sunbury, Ohio, “Prosperity Leads to Peace”

Cash prizes were awarded to the top 3 participants.

Winners from Previous years

Speeches from the 2024 Contest
news release

• Jenna Juarez, 1st place, “Promoting Peace in Skilled Nursing Facilities”
• Jenia Freewalt, 2nd place, “Helping Students Make Peace With  Themselves”
• Zachariah Boch, 3rd place, “Deconstructing the Bully: Giving Power to Take Away Power”

2023 Contest
news release

• Payton Stephens, 1st place, “Finding Peace in Religious Conversations: The Free Exercise Clause and Public Schools”
• Aspyn Rafac, 2nd place, “Mennonite on Indigenous Soil: Making Peace After Colonialism”
• Olivia (Lou) Westcott, 3rd place, “Interpersonal Relationships—It’s Complicated: Status and Hierarchy Within our Everyday Lives”

2022 Contest

• Madison Baker, 1st place, "The Monster of Darkness that Embezzles the Peace Within: Sex Trafficking"
• Payton Stephens, 2nd place, "Blind Structured are Blind Attitudes: Peace Within the Social Model of Disability"
• Joseph Earl, 3rd place, "Moving Toward Nuclear Disarmament: Rebooting START"

2021 Contest

• Olivia Tennefoss, 1st place, "Turning Profit Into Peace: The Shalom of Small Business"
• Claire Myree, 2nd place, "Making Peace with Our World Through Reduction"
• Jenny Dorsey, 3rd place, "We Need Not Make Another Other: How the Church's Practice of Exclusion Violates Jesus' Call to Peace"

2020 Contest

• Gabriel Denecker, 1st place, "The Catholic View of Peace: Just War and the Brotherhood of Humanity"
• Claire Myree, 2nd place, "Can Friendship Trump All? Friendship in the Trump Era"
• Olivia Tennefoss, 3rd place, "America the Beautiful: At the Border and in our Communities"

2019 Contest

• Hannah Conklin, 1st place, "Water Access as Inequality: A Vision for Justice and Healing"
• Kiera Suffel, 2nd place, "How the church can be more supportive for struggling married couples"
• Zachary Lynkins, 3rd place, "Christian persecution and how we can support those who are persecuted and have no voice"

2017 Contest

• Claire Clay, 1st place, "Social Media and Conflict: Eradicating Online Drama through Compassion and Peacemaking"
• Eric Beachy, 2nd place, "Making Peace through Restorative Agriculture"
• Olivia Poole, 3rd place, "Restoring Peace by Challenging White Privilege"

2016 Contest

• Rebecca Starn, 1st place, “Peace through Female Education”
• Angel Huerta, 2nd place, “The Epidemic of Domestic Violence” 
• Jonah Eckert, 3rd place, “Fighting Hunger to Promote Peace”

2015 Contest

• Emily Huxman, 1st place, “Reducing Global Violence against Women through Education”
  >>> Binational contest first place
• Chay Reigle, 2nd place, “The Fourth Estate of Peacemaking”
• Venessa Owsley, 3rd place, “Making Bluffton a Safe Space”

2014 Contest

• Mary Schrag, 1st place, “Shooting Chivalry”
• Emily Huxman, 2nd place, “Turning Swords into Ploughshares One Story at a Time”
• Rebecca Juliana, 3rd place, “Out of the Closet, Out of a Job?"

2013 Contest

• Brent Schroeder, 1st place, “Being Seated at the Table of Christ: Ritual and Disability”
• Katie Wineland, 2nd place, “Queering Bluffton: Embracing the Other, Embracing our Own”
• Nathan Barber, 3rd place, “Saving Afghanistan”