Kellogg Prize Finalists Present at Honors Convocation

Integrating the arts in the classroom, starting out in the South Bronx, and raising a Guiding Eyes dog were three inspiring topics presented by the three finalists competing at this year’s Honors Convocation for the 2025 Abraham L. Kellogg Oratorical Prize.

Jae Stuchel ’25, a Theatre Arts major, presented “The Art of Learning, A Voice of Change.” “I want to see the arts integrated into the classroom,” Jae said.

Jae gave an example of two second-grade students with whom they work as a Teach For America Ignite Fellow. “They’re cheerleaders, so I’ll give them a story, and they’ll have to make up a cheer about it,” they said. “It’s important for educators to find the interests of their students and build lessons around that.”

Jae thanked the teachers who helped propel them to that stage. “Arts educators don’t often hear about the impact they make,” they said. “I want to make sure they get that shout-out because they did so much to make me who I am today.”
To view Jae Stuchel deliver their Kellogg speech, click here.

Kelechi Springer ’25, a Nursing major, spoke of drive and perseverance in his talk, “Another Bronx Tale.”

“I dropped out of school and left home at an early age,” he said. “Trying to live in the South Bronx on my own taught me that experience is the best teacher. Some of my experiences taught me that I was okay with doing things differently than some of the people I knew were doing – and for me, that meant going back to school, getting my GED and coming to Hartwick to study Nursing.”

Delivering the Kellogg Oratorical, Kelechi said, is his way of showing gratitude and giving back. “This opportunity is a privilege,” he said, “I’ve always envisioned myself behind a podium, sharing my experiences and perspectives.”
To view Kelechi Springer deliver his Kellogg speech, click here.

Roselyn DuMerville, ’25, an Economics major with minors in Actuarial Math and Legal Studies, presented “Guided by Henry,” which follows her journey raising Henry, a Guiding Eyes for the Blind puppy, and “finding motivation in unexpected places.”

“Henry and I struggled, but we found our footing as a team,” she said.

She has raised two more dogs, including Blue and Aadir, both of whom are “legacy dogs” sired by Henry. Blue was on stage with her as she delivered her speech.

To view Roselyn DuMerville deliver her Kellogg remarks, click here.

In a heartwarming twist that brought their shared journey full circle, Henry himself made a surprise appearance at Honors Convocation—driven more than two hours by Amy Blechman, regional coordinator for the Guiding Eyes for the Blind—to stand once again beside Roselyn. His appearance, camouflaged under the codename “Project Magic” during weeks of behind-the-scenes planning, was an emotional high point of the event.

The idea was first proposed by Professor Susan Navarette, who coordinated with a team of dedicated individuals to make the surprise visit happen. Henry’s 2025 Honors Convocation appearance was made possible by the efforts of Amy Blechman, regional coordinator for Guiding Eyes for the Blind – Leatherstocking; MeKalea Chambliss, regional puppy instructor for Guiding Eyes for the Blind – Leatherstocking; Elissa Donovan, student success coach and advisor to the Hartwick College Guiding Eyes for the Blind Club; and Cherilyn Lacy, assistant provost.

Now in its second year, the tradition of having the previous year’s Kellogg Oratory Prize winner return to Honors Convocation continued, with Michael Demarais ’24, introducing each of this year’s three Kellogg finalists.

Established in 1929, the Kellogg Oratory Competition resembles in character the now iconic “last lecture series,” an event established (and so named) in 2007 by Professor Randy Pausch at Carnegie Mellon. On campuses where a last lecture is staged, students vote for a faculty member who is challenged to give a “last lecture” that answers the question: “What would you say if you had only one last lecture to give?”

So, too, with the Kellogg: seniors nominated by their graduating class go through several rounds of competition, with three finalists chosen to deliver their Kellogg speech at Honors Convocation.

Navarette notes that the Kellogg is special because, although it’s delivered at the end of the academic year as “oratory,” it invites the finalists to speak outside the conventions of the typical graduation speech.

“Graduating seniors challenge their peer-nominees: ‘If you had one final statement to make–something that captures the essence of how you see things, of how you understand things, of what has allowed you to come into your own in your three or four years on this campus: what would you say? What would you say that speaks–for real–to us all?” she said.

A charter member of the Board of Trustees, New York State Supreme Court Justice Abraham L. Kellogg offered a prize of $50 in gold for the best original oration delivered at the College’s first commencement exercises in 1929. In so doing, Justice Kellogg proved a visionary, launching a tradition that Hartwick honors and celebrates to this day: the chance “to speak one’s piece, to have one’s say.”

The Kellogg Oratory Prize winner will be announced at Commencement on Saturday, May 17.