"Passionate people with a message to share": The C. Henry Smith Oratorical Contest

On Wednesday, March 25th  the C. Henry Smith Peace Oratorical Contest took place at Conrad Grebel University College. The event was organized by the Peace and Conflict Studies Department and the Grebel Chaplaincy office. Of the submissions, four contestants each took the podium to present their speeches relating to the application of the Christian peace position to contemporary concerns.  

The contest was judged by four respected members of the Conrad Grebel community, President Marcus Shantz, Dr. Reina Neufeldt, Dr. Carol Penner and PACS society president Nicole Callero.  

Each participant won a cash prize, with Faraja Sadi taking first place for her speech, “In the name of Christ: What happens when the church aligns itself with state agenda.” Faraja is a third-year PACS and Psychology student and had participated in the contest in the past. Speaking on the experience, she said “I was a bit conflicted about participating again, having done so before. But I’m so glad I did it. I really wanted to share with as many people as I could what was heavy on my heart; something I saw in all the speeches that night.”  

Sophia Kauffman, a first-year student looking to major in PACS, won second place for her introspective piece which focused on the history of Mennonite involvement in residential schools.  

Finally, third place was a tie between Mona Bailey and Dustin Fulgur, two third-year students. Mona is majoring in Psychology with a PACS minor, while Dustin is a PACS major with a minor in political science. Mona’s speech beautifully connected her time spent volunteering and an overarching feeling of peacework. “I loved being a part of a group of passionate people with a message to share. Being provided with these opportunities to encourage thinking about, sharing and discussing peace is vital for our future!” Mona commented.  

Dustin’s speech, “My Journey from Enforcer to Abolitionist” detailed the experiences that brought him to pursue PACS and how it has changed his view. You can find out more about his journey in his student profile from earlier this semester.   

Overall, the night was a successful gathering of some of the strongest speakers the Peace and Conflict Studies department has to offer. Gatherings like these serve not only as contests for the students, but also as social gatherings in which students and faculty can interact while bringing attention to the difficult questions of our time.  Once again, congratulations to the contestants for their important messages.