Protecting immigrants
04/11/2025
Winners of the 2025 peace oratorical contest pose with contest organizer Dr. Gerald Mast. Pictured are Coen North, second place; Micah Dodson, third place; and Mya Vernon, first place.
Vernon advances to bi-national contest
Mya Vernon ’27, a graphic design major from Toledo, Ohio, placed first with her speech “Protecting Immigrants Against ICE,” in the annual C. Henry Smith Peace Oratorical Contest at Bluffton University on Thursday, April 11.
Students are given the opportunity to compose and deliver a speech that applies Christian principles of peacemaking to contemporary social issues. The winner of the Bluffton competition advances to compete with winners from other Mennonite-related colleges and universities.
Vernon’s speech called for protecting immigrants against ICE, specifically in safe
spaces such as hospitals, churches and schools. Vernon advocated for creating stricter
guidelines for ICE to prevent immigrants from avoiding essential resources within
their communities.
Vernon’s speech be entered into the bi-national C. Henry Smith Peace Oratory contest to compete with the first place winners of other Mennonite colleges and universities in the U.S. and Canada.
Second place was awarded to Coen North ’26 from Denver, Colo. A communication and media major, he spoke on “Considering the Lilies: Making Peace Through Practices of Contentment.”
Micah Dodson ’27 from Wooster, Ohio, placed third with “Building Impossible Bridges in an Impossible World.” He is a communication and media major.
Cash prizes of $500, $400 and $300 were awarded to the top three finishers respectively.
However, the oratorical tradition has much deeper roots at Bluffton as the first oratorical prize contest was held in 1905 during commencement week.
The annual contest is administered by the communication and fine arts department at Bluffton University. Bluffton’s winners have often earned prizes at the intercollegiate level.