Watch the three finalists compete live in the 87th American Legion speech contest on the U.S. Constitution at legion.org.
Early Saturday evening a television monitor projected the states whose contestants were the top three finalists of The American Legion’s National Oratorical Contest – Arizona, Colorado and Pennsylvania.
Wendy Gluski of Scottsdale, Ariz., Juliet Hetzel of Colorado Springs, Colo., and Judah Donnelly of Clarks Summit, Pa., will compete in the National Oratorical Contest finals on Sunday, May 17, for a chance to win first place and a $25,000 scholarship. Second and third place will earn $22,500 and $20,000 respectively. The finals will be held at 10 a.m. Eastern on Sunday. Watch the competition live here.
The high school competitors of the Legion’s speech contest on the U.S. Constitution gathered inside the Dow Conference Center at Hillsdale College in Hillsdale, Mich., home of the National Oratorical Contest, with family to see the results.
“I was so overwhelmed. I’ve worked so hard for this,” said Hetzel when she saw her state on the screen. “I don’t think I’ve ever wanted anything more in my life. I’ve just prayed and hoped for this so much.”
The inspiration for Hetzel’s prepared oration, which focuses on the separation of church and state, is personal. “I am religious and people have told me to keep silent about politics, and I actually believe that every American has both the right but also the moral responsibility to bring what they believe is right and wrong into politics and advocate for the change that they want to see.”
As she stands on stage tomorrow in Plaster Auditorium in front of her mom, peers and those watching the finals live, Hetzel said she will be nervous, “but whatever happens, I’m just so grateful to be here.” And she will carry a message with her from her biggest fan.
“My mom is my biggest supporter and best friend,” Hetzel said. “She’s constantly been talking about working hard but she also constantly tells me that success doesn’t determine who you are.”
For Donnelly, this is his third time competing in the contest but first to make it to the national level. “This is something that I've always been wanting and looking for,” he said, crediting his top three spot from learning from the past national champions, watching their videos, seeing how they write their speeches, changing the research around his oration and “putting in just more effort overall. That's what I think has gotten me this far.”
With three years of research on the Constitution, Donnelly has instilled a greater appreciation for civic responsibility.
“I really didn't know much about the Constitution until I began to read about it and write about it,” said Donnelly, who will be attending Hillsdale College this fall. “Really understanding the Constitution and the intricacy and the brilliance with which our founders wrote the Constitution and how applicable it is today, has not only opened up my country to me, but also the people who have died for it, the people who have sacrificed for it. It’s given me a greater appreciation for the veterans and the people who serve our country and have been willing to sacrifice so much for it.”
Hetzel, Donnelly and Gluski edged out 50 other orators who won their department Oratorical Contest to compete in the 87th American Legion National Oratorical Contest. The contest got underway Saturday where the 53 competitors gave a prepared eight- to 10-minute oration on the U.S. Constitution and a three- to five-minute oration on an assigned topic discourse – a phase of the Constitution selected from Articles and Sections – in front of judges and family members. The top 18 advanced to the semifinal round, followed by the top three finalists being named.
This is the first time competing in the contest for Gluski, who attended Arizona Girls State and will be headed to Johns Hopkins University this fall. Gluski said she has enjoyed the process of writing a prepared oration as well as “reading about the Constitution, reading analysis on the Constitution and reading the Federalist Papers.”
When Gluski presents her oration tomorrow, the message she wants people to take away from her prepared oration, “Dinner Table Politics,” is that “it’s important that each one of us tries to have more political discourse in our everyday lives,” she said. “I think there's been some difference of opinion as we've kind of stopped talking about politics. I think that's happening to a lot of families. So I kind of just hope to inspire people through the Constitution because it does empower us to talk to each other. It's important for us, and it's necessary for us to talk about politics with our friends, with our families, sometimes even with strangers.”
With her mom by her side, her other biggest supporters will be watching the livestream – dad, government teacher and members of her sponsoring Post 145 in Peoria.
“The American Legion post, they encourage me and send me emails all the time saying, ‘We’re excited to hear you speak!’ I really appreciate all of it.”
- Oratorical