Blog #6–2024 Bailey Oratorical Reflection
Bailey Oratorical Thoughts and Reflection — 2/28/24
Yesterday I attended Juniata College’s 114th Bailey Oratorical competition. This was my 3rd Bailey Oratorical I’ve attended and I’ve enjoyed every time I’ve attended. The Bailey is one of Juniata’s oldest lasting traditions, established in 1910 in honor of John M. Bailey. Each year, students present speeches to a committee, and the top 7 are selected to recite their speech in front of students and faculty for a cash prize. The topic this year was, “From your perspective, what issue or condition needs to be addressed for individuals and communities to reach their full potential for health and well-being?” I thought all the speeches were well prepared, and well presented in front of a large crowd, and all the participants should be extremely proud of themselves for contributing to such a historic tradition of Juniata.
The first presenter was Nicole Montes Perez. She talked about the ignorance of economic daily issues and setbacks communities have. She compared Huntingdon to Los Angeles, and while I was confused at first, she made a thought-provoking connection between the two communities and told us everyone is more similar than we thought. Her call to action was to remind us that the people have power to make change. We have to think about where we want to be as a community to reach our full potential as a country.
The next speaker was Isabel Kruse. Her introduction was a student-focused, talking about the mattress dominoes record held by Juniata students from 2009. The opening was interesting because it resonated with students, and got them engaged and listening because it had to do with them. She talked about student disengagement and the importance of cultivating culture, connection, and creativity on college campuses. Doing this would result in better well-being and deal with stress better. Her well-researched speech along with connecting with the audience got her the People’s Choice Award, which I think was very deserving.
Gillian Cunningham talked about the importance of sexuality and sexual reproduction education for younger kids. “Knowing how your body works is the first step to being able to protect your own body and respect the bodies around you.” This stood out to me because I think it’s important for children now more than ever to be safe and educated. I think making sex education a popular area of discussion will help release the stigma behind it and encourage kids to ask questions and want to learn. Cunningham received 3rd place in the 2024 Bailey Oratorical.
Yoselin Kearney discussed the importance of slowing down in life to support a better lifestyle and well-being. Kearney talked about losing yourself in the hustle culture and counteracting that by focusing on mindfulness and being in the present moment. This connected with me because I feel like college students are constantly under stress about grades, graduation, internships, and a career path. There are so many stressful things going on in our lives but Kearney talks about creating purpose in what you’re doing. While it is important to be successful, it’s also important to enjoy life while doing so.
I resonated with Lillian Case’s speech as well. Her speech was about establishing a 3rd place. A place outside of home and work that can combat loneliness in a community that is more lonely than ever. With the addition of the Statton Learning Commons, Case discusses the importance of community and promotes connection and thriving in a new space. She sets a call to action for students to use the space to foster new relationships and make new friends. Referring to the community, Case talks about the importance of libraries in the digital age, and how spaces like that help assist families who don’t have access to the internet. This speech was well thought out, connected the school with the community, and proposed a solution to loneliness. Case placed 2nd in the 2024 Bailey Oratorical.
Molly Sheets discussed the importance of positive body talk and altering the thought process of how you see yourself. She urged for a change of the language in health and wants to create a community that is respective of all body types. Sheets comments on the dehumanizing use of language and how the use of more compassionate language would lead to a better future.
Finally, the winner of the 2024 Bailey Oratorical, Dan Cummins. Fitting to IM310, Cummins talked about the ever-changing landscape of social media, and how recently addiction to social media has led to a distracted community. As we’ve talked about in discussion, social media has been designed to lock you into your phone, and I resonate with this because of how much I’m on my phone. Cummins’ call to action was to use meditation and breathing techniques to be more present in life outside of the phone. I personally liked this speech because it connected with something I do every day. With something as prevalent as social media, this was an important topic to discuss and Cummins had a good argument on how it affects a community. Overall, the Bailey Oratorical was an insightful experience and I’m excited to see next year’s competition.