Gina Harjani of Gatlinburg won a $25,000 scholarship for her winning oration, ‘The Constitution in the Digital Age.’
Gina Harjani of Gatlinburg, Tenn., is the winner of the 2025 American Legion National Oratorical Contest. Harjani competed in the final round on the campus of Hillsdale College in Hillsdale, Mich., on May 18, alongside second-place finisher Mary Crosby of Burlington, Wash., and third-place finisher Elena Andrews of Beresford, S.D.
“I am overcome with so much emotion right now,” said Harjani about winning the competition after emerging from a field of 50 high school youth speaking on the U.S. Constitution. “The feeling doesn’t feel real right now but I’m beyond grateful to be standing here today, and I’m so grateful for this opportunity. It means so much to me as a speaker and tells me that I have the speaking skills that I need to continue to do public speaking in my life.”
As the American Legion’s National Oratorical Contest winner, Harjani will receive a $25,000 scholarship; second and third place receive $22,500 and $20,000, respectively. Harjani, a senior at Gatlinburg Pittman High School, will be attending Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., this fall and will be studying communications of science technology.
The title of Harjani’s winning speech is “The Constitution in the Digital Age.” She focused on privacy and the Constitutional rights of freedoms online in a time of algorithms and artificial intelligence with being on our phones constantly, and things we may not think about every day like agreeing to terms and conditions when downloading an app.
In part, her speech read, “The reality is, every time we click ‘Accept’ without considering the consequences, we might be surrendering rights that people have fought and died to protect. Every time we share something online, we are shaping the future of free speech. And every time we disregard privacy settings, we are undermining the protections that previous generations worked to preserve. Here's the truth: when we enter the digital world, we do not, and we must not, forfeit our constitutional rights.”
“I wanted to focus on a current topic that everybody really relates to but maybe they don’t think about as much,” Harjani said. “But it is something they do need to think about. So I wanted to bring light to the fact that people need to remember that they do have these rights as an American and by having these new changes, it doesn’t take away from that.”
Harjani got involved with The American Legion’s oratorical contest at her local Post 202 after attending Tennessee Auxiliary Girls State last summer and learning about it. “I knew this was a competition that I would like to take part in because of a love for public speaking and love for the Constitution, and I wanted to get more involved with it,” she said. Harjani advanced from Post 202’s competition to district, regionals and state to make it the national level.
“The whole process of the oratorical competition has been amazing. I have met so many different people, and I’ve learned so much from them. I really think that I’ve made connections that will last me a lifetime. I’ve just built this community and this family that have done nothing but support me, and I’m so grateful.”
From late night rehearsing practices to saying her speech about 100 times, Harjani has enjoyed the journey.
“It has given me a lifetime experience and memories that I will take with me forever. I have learned so much about my strength as a public speaker,” she said, adding that before the oratorial competition she had never given a 10-minute speech before or had to memorize about five other speeches for the assigned topic.
“The American Legion oratorical contest has really taught me my strength as a public speaker, and kind of my potential, and it’s only going to get better from here. And I’ve learned that you can make friends with people that you’re competing with, and you can learn so much from them as well. I’ve learned so many valuable lessons and made so many memories with so many people that I know that I’m going to cherish forever.”
Harjani encourages other high school students to get involved with the program at the local post level because of the multiple benefits it offers.
“Whether you’re trying to gain new public speaking skills, learn about your rights, learn about the Constitution, or just make new friends, you’re bound to get something out of this competition,” she said. “I’ve learned so much more than what I thought I was going to get out of this, and I am so grateful for it.”
As an only child, Harjani said her parents, Barbie and Raj, encouraged public speaking from a young age and encouraged her to participate in The American Legion’s oratorical contest.
“I owe it all to them. They spent countless hours listening to my speech over and over again. They helped me refine it, they helped me tweak it, changed a little bit with my delivery. So I share this award completely with them.”
The proud parents said through the Legion’s contest and Girls State, they have met “so many wonderful people with the American Legion Family,” Barbie said. “Everyone has been so supportive. Her journey has been wonderful, but our journey with her has been even better.”
When Harjani stood on stage in Plaster Auditorium in front of an audience of judges, Legion Family members, peers and her parents, she delivered her prepared oration in thanks.
“When I gave that speech today, I really gave it for both my parents.”
As the National Oratorical Contest winner, Harjani will receive an all-expense paid trip to the 106th National Convention of The American Legion in August in Tampa, Fla., along with other Legion youth program champions.
In its 86-year history, The American Legion’s National Oratorical Contest has awarded over $6 million in scholarships. Learn more about the program and how to participate here.
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