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Juniata's Bailey Oratorical to Explore Making Peace 'Everybody's Business'
(Posted February 27, 2025)
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Seven finalists, front, from the left, Lillian Case ’25, Sylvia Ortega ’25, Isatou Sonko ’25, Amya Martinez ’28, Mahx Baptiste ’25; back, Molly Sheets ’25, and Cole Gross ’26, will compete in the 115th Bailey Oratorical at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 4.
Seven finalists, front, from the left, Lillian Case ’25, Sylvia Ortega ’25, Isatou Sonko ’25, Amya Martinez ’28, Mahx Baptiste ’25; back, Molly Sheets ’25, and Cole Gross ’26, will compete in the 115th Bailey Oratorical at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 4.
HUNTINGDON, Pa. – The 115th Bailey Oratorical – the oldest ongoing tradition of academic excellence at Juniata College – will be held Tuesday, March 4, at 7:30 p.m. Hosted by the Communication Department, the annual speech competition encourages students from all areas of study to present persuasive speeches on a topic that changes annually. This year’s event is open to the public to watch in the Alumni Hall (A100), located in the Brumbaugh Academic Center, or live online at https://youtube.com/live/1KDzPe9ra5g.
Established in 1910, the Bailey Oratorical competition features prizes of $1,000, $700, and $500 for the top three students. In addition, the name of the winner will be permanently inscribed on an antique loving cup. Audience members who attend in person are invited to participate in a text-to-vote poll for the People’s Choice Award, for which one of the student finalists will receive $100.
This year’s student finalists are Mahx Baptiste ’25 of Allentown, Pa., who is studying media studies and production; Lillian Case ’25 of Reading, Pa., who is studying business analytics and communication studies; Cole Gross ’26 of Mount Union, Pa., who is studying politics; Amya Martinez ’28 of Newark, NJ, who is studying media studies and production; Sylvia Ortega ’25 of Philadelphia, Pa., who is studying business marketing. Molly Sheets ’25 of Ada, Ohio, who is studying culture and communication; and Isatou Sonko ’25 of Banjul, The Gambia, who is studying peace and conflict studies.
Over the next few days, faculty mentors will coach the students to polish their content and delivery in preparation for the competition.
This year, the speech prompt is inspired by the 40th anniversary of The Baker Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies. Reflecting on Elizabeth Evans Baker’s inspirational quote, “Peace is everybody’s business,” finalists were given the prompt, “What does it mean to make peace ‘everybody’s business?’”
Judges for the final competition are El Kruglak ’11, who has over a decade of experience in the fields of peacebuilding and development with a focus on mass atrocity prevention; Joshua Scacco ’08, an associate professor in the Department of Communication at the University of South Florida; and Bonnie Kline Smeltzer, pastor emerita for the University Baptist and Brethren Church.
Twenty-two students competed in the preliminary round of the competition, which took place on February 22, 2025, with alumni Alli Goulden, ’19, Alex Jones, ’20, and Nate Ulrich, ’19 serving as judges.
The original Bailey Oratorical Award was established in 1910 by Letitia Fisher Bailey and the Honorable Thomas F. Bailey, who served as president judge of Huntingdon County from 1916 to 1936. The contest is named in honor of John M. Bailey, the father of Thomas Bailey and a former Huntingdon County president judge.
The original prizes for the competition were $15 and $25. An enhanced endowment contribution by Judge Bailey’s son-in-law, Colonel Sedgley Thornbury, provides the contest’s prize money. The antique loving cup used in the competition was presented to the college by Colonel Thornbury’s son, Thomas Bailey Thornbury.
Contact April Feagley at feaglea@juniata.edu or (814) 641-3131 for more information.