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The stars are bright for a Bartlesville High School (BHS) student that punched his ticket to a national speech contest.

BHS Junior Ian Holdman won the American Legion Post's State Contest last Saturday, Feb. 26, in Oklahoma City. Holdman, who represented the Bartlesville American Legion Post, says he was shocked when it was announced that he would be heading to Indianapolis, Indiana to represent Oklahoma.

Pictured right: Ian Holdman shakes hands with Bill Teel, Americanism Chairman, Department of Oklahoma, American Legion.

Holdman says he felt great about himself afterwards, but a nervousness set in, too, as he realized the implications of his success. He says he is taking it with a grain of salt.

The National American Legion Post Speech Contest will be held April 23-25 in Indianapolis. 

At Bartlesville High School, Holdman is involved in the Speech & Debate Club. Holdman is big on engineering, too, as he serves as the Vice President of the Technology Student Association. He takes pre-engineering courses at Tri County Tech in Bartlesville.

Pictured left: Holdman shakes hands with Commander Charlie O'Leary, Oklahoma Department, American Legion.

Holdman's speech career started his freshman year during sixth hour at BHS. Holdman says he loves speech because it gives him a chance to speak about what he feels. He says arguing over a case during debates excites him too, because he enjoys taking what he's given to defend a certain point against someone else's defense for their case.

Looking ahead to college, Holdman says he is looking at going into an engineer field. Holdman says he is leaning more towards electrical engineering or aerospace. He says he is planning on visiting more schools with his parents, but his focus is on Oklahoma State University for now.

Drs. Danny and Shelly Holdman (pictured right), Ian's parents, have supported their son along the way. Holdman says it has meant alot to have his parents backing him and pushing him to be the best he can be throughout his journey. He says it has been stressful at times, but he's thankful for their help; he's glad he has parents to work with him and help him get through it.

Dr. Shelly says they are proud of Ian. She says they look forward to see what their son does at nationals and that he has worked very hard to get to this moment.

The opportunity to participate in this speech contest came up during a search for scholarships to help pay for college. Holdman says his mom was involved in the search when an ad came up for the American Legion Post speech contest. He says he agreed with his parents that this seemed like a great process to pursue.

Holdman signed up and joined the American Legion Post in Bartlesville. A local competition would have been held but there were no other contestants, so Holdman advanced to the district speech contest (also held in Bartlesville). Holdman says he beat out one other competitor in the district contest to advance to state. He says the competition really picked up then.

Confidence in his abilities built as he went throughout the state competition last weekend. Holdman says his first speech was about voting rights in America and how they have changed over the years. He says his speech covered the Suffrage Movement and how it has slowly gained progress for all Americans regardless of race or sex. The second speech (selected at random) covered the 8th Amendment.

Practice makes perfect. Holdman says he is already practicing his speech and inflections while he gets ready for the day. He says he goes over his speeches a couple times a day in order to have them memorized.

Research is a big component in preparation. Holdman says he wants to be passionate about what he is presenting. He says he will continue to use his speech on voting rights and how they have changed over time.

Holdman adds that his speech topic means so much to him as a black man because so many have suffered in the past. He says there is a brighter future for him and future generations, which will help him make a more impactful speech since it is something he is passionate about.

The Holdman family is making arrangements now to get plane tickets to Indy. Holdman says he is excited to compete at the end of April. He says he's ready to meet other students from across the nation as well.

Holdman says he is going to do his absolute best in representing Oklahoma. He says he is going to do nothing but improve as nationals approach.

An Oklahoma representative has not won the National American Legion Post Speech competition since 1980. Laura Vance was the last to win it all for Oklahoma.

Holdman says he hopes to break that cycle this year. He says he's ready to show the nation what it means to be a competitive Oklahoman.

Find out more about the American Legion Post by clicking here.