Freedom of Expression.
Viewpoint Diversity.
Intellectual Humility.
Critical Thinking.
Promoting Freedom of Speech
Fourth Annual Oratory Competition
"Tell the Story of a Hero of Our American Democracy.”
Mary Kate Cary, Samuel Bedford, Grant Spears, Heidi Zmick, Kamau Walker (graduate winner), Sidney Seybold (undergraduate winner), Valentina Mendoza Gonzalez, Jack Siegel, Arola Oluwehinmi
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On November 18th, 2024 undergraduate and graduate students answered this prompt for UVA’s Annual Student Oratory Competition. They stood before a public audience and delivered their five-minute speeches to a bipartisan panel of former White House and Cabinet speechwriters in the Rotunda Dome Room.
Awards included $1,000 prizes for each division winner, Jefferson Cups for finalists, and opportunities to engage with experts in the field.
Sidney Seybold won the undergraduate division and Kamau Walker won the graduate division. Other finalists included Valentina Mendoza Gonzalez, Arola Oluwehinmi, Jack Siegel, Samuel Bedford, Grant Spears, and Heidi Zmick.
Click here to read and watch the speeches.
Click here to read Cavalier Daily's coverage on the Competition.
Think Again is an exciting initiative at UVA that seeks to help students thrive by promoting freedom of expression, viewpoint diversity, intellectual humility, and critical thinking. We are focused on student-facing events that promote open inquiry and viewpoint diversity on Grounds — through partnerships with national organizations that promote student interaction, town-hall style debates, and low-stakes discussions that involve free food and fun prizes. The more UVA students can engage in civil, thoughtful conversations about the issues of the day, the better equipped our next generation of Americans will be to lead our democracy.
Along with Prof. Cary’s blog, you can stay up to date with the latest debates in higher education on such issues as free speech rankings, institutional neutrality, viewpoint diversity, and other current events both here at UVA and at colleges across the nation. Join us at our Think Again events on Grounds this year at UVA — and if you have ideas for speakers, webinars, and events, please email us. We’d love to hear from you.
Learn more about our mission here.
If you’d like to learn more about our four pillars, see here.
You can learn more about our upcoming and past events here.
You can also follow us on social media (@ThinkAgainUVA)
Think Again receives financial support from the Fund for Free Expression and Viewpoint Diversity at UVA, a fund within the UVA Alumni Association and managed by the UVA Fund.
