The annual C. Henry Smith Peace Oratorical Contest took place April 3 in Yoder Recital Hall. Senior convergent media major Hannah Conklin won first place with her speech, “Water Access as Inequality: A Vision for Justice and Healing.”
Hannah Conklin. Photo by Nicole Centofanti
The contest had a total of three participants: Conklin, senior Kiera Suffel and sophomore Zachary Lykins. This year’s judges included Marathana Prothro, assistant professor of communication, Jackie Wyse-Rhodes, assistant professor of religion, and Matthew Yoder, pastor at Grace Mennonite Church in Pandora.
The C. Henry Smith Peace Oratorical program began with a welcome and introduction from Professor of Communication Gerald Mast. Then, the participants presented their speeches for the audience.
Conklin presented her speech, “Water Access as Inequality: A Vision for Justice and Healing.” Her topic discussed the issue of how inadequate access to water contributes to issues of gender equality, including education, economics and safety problems.
“Everyone, every woman and girl around the globe, deserves the right to clean water and the dignity of a toilet, the ability to attend school, the opportunity to flourish without fear of violence or sickness,” said Conklin.
Lykins delivered the second speech, titled “Christian Persecution: A Nonviolent Protest.” It touched on Jesus’s life, including his teachings, miracles, relationships and sacrifice.
“We have an obligation to support those who don’t have a voice,” Lykins said in his speech.
Kiera Suffel. Photo By Nicole Centofanti
The third speaker was Suffel. She spoke on “Peace in Marriage: How the Church Can Support Struggling Couples.” She discussed ways the church can help struggling couples. For example, she said churches should be a support system for couples, offer premarital counseling and promote healthy relationships.
The speeches were followed by an intermission and reception to allow time for the judges to score the speeches and determine the winner.
The results were announced following intermission. Conklin came in first place winning $175, and she will move on to compete against other winning students from other colleges in a binational, intercollegiate competition.
Suffel and Lykins came in second and third place, winning $125 and $100 respectively.
The C. Henry Smith Peace Oratorical Contest is a contest where students who attend Mennonite and Brethren in Christ universities in the U.S. and Canada have the opportunity to deliver speeches on topics of peace to today’s issues. It honors the Mennonite historian C. Henry Smith who served as a Bluffton faculty member from 1914 to 1946.
Editor’s note: Conklin and Suffel serve on The Witmarsum staff.
