Speech & Debate

Competitive Experience

PUBLIC FORUM DEBATE | 2023 - PRESENT

Competitor in the National Speech & Debate Association's Public Forum Debate, a 2 vs 2 debate event focused on current-day policy, political, and societal issues

473 NSDA speaker points earned, most for any Public Forum debater at my school
30 wins/60 total rounds
5 round wins on the National Circuit
NSDA Distinction Degree, awarded for 254 NSDA points and above
Awarded Kent Denver's Best Novice Debater (2024)

Research, Argumentation & Preparation

What does preparation look like?

One of the most rewarding aspects of Public Forum Debate is researching the monthly changing resolutions. The topics address complex questions involving international relations, government policy, economics, and ethics.

For each resolution, my partner and I research competing perspectives, evaluate academic studies and policy reports, and construct evidence-based arguments for both sides of the issue. Preparing for tournaments requires us to anticipate the opposing arguments we may run into, identify weaknesses in our reasoning, and defend positions that may differ from our personal beliefs.

Debate has challenged me to recognize the complexity of real-world issues and approach opposing perspectives with intellectual curiosity rather than immediate judgment.

Curious what a debate case looks like?

ES_NEG2.0_ExampleCase.pdf

The case above may look a little crazy. In debate, we practice verbatim evidence reading, meaning we read only words taken directly from original sources to ensure we represent evidence accurately and ethically. This is represented by the highlighted portions of text, which is what we read aloud in rounds.

Mentorship & Team Leadership

DEBATE MENTOR & COACH | 2023 - PRESENT

Beyond competing, I have mentored over 30 novice and middle school debaters through Kent Denver's Speech & Debate program. During my free periods, I work with novices to introduce them to their events, help them research resolutions, and prepare for upcoming tournaments.

I also serve as a student coach for Kent Denver's middle school Speech & Debate elective, working directly with students to write, practice, and revise their speeches and debate cases. This includes helping students organize their arguments, strengthen their evidence, and prepare responses to opposing positions.

Additionally, I have judged middle school Speech & Debate tournaments, providing individualized feedback on competitors' argumentation, delivery, and use of evidence. Through written ballots and post-round feedback, I help students identify specific areas to improve before their next competition.

Debate Ethical Seminar

ETHICAL SEMINAR LEADER | 2026

One of the most rewarding pieces of my debate journey has been teaching my peers about the ethical issues I have faced on the debate circuit. As part of Kent Denver's Ethics Day, I co-led seminars that examined the ethical implications of artificial intelligence in competitive debate.

Our discussion explored how AI-generated research and arguments are changing tournament preparation, raising questions about academic integrity, the credibility of evidence, and fairness among competitors. I encouraged students to consider the distinction between using technology to strengthen their understanding of a topic and allowing it to replace independent research and critical thinking.

So you think you can argue.pdf

List of Tournaments Attended

Freshman Year

Colorado's Oldest (2/10/2024)
Cougar Clash (2/3/2024)
Raptor Rumble (11/18/2023)
Great Pumpkin (10/28/2023)

Sophomore Year

Colorado NSDA District National Qualifying Tournament (3/7/2025 – 3/8/2025)
CHSAA 5A State Tournament (2/28/2025 – 3/1/2025)
Falcon Fiesta (2/8/2025)
Cal Invitational UC Berkeley (2/15/2025 – 2/18/2025)
Winter Wonder (12/14/2024)
Mile High (11/22/2024 – 11/23/2024)

Junior Year

Colorado NSDA District National Qualifying Tournament (3/13/2026 – 3/14/2026)
CHSAA 5A State Tournament (3/6/2026 – 3/7/2026)
Cougar Clash (1/24/2026)
Arizona State HDSHC Invitational (1/9/2026 – 1/12/2026)
Raptor Rumble (11/21/2025 – 11/22/2025)
Mile High Tournament (11/14/2025 – 11/15/2025)
Cherry Creek Classic (11/1/2025)

List of Topics Researched

Resolved: The United States federal government should ban corporate acquisition of single-family residences
Resolved: The Federal Trade Commission should establish a federal regulatory framework for sports betting
Resolved: The People's Republic of China should substantially reduce its international extraction of natural resources
Resolved: The United States federal government should require technology companies to provide lawful access to encrypted communications.
Resolved: The United Kingdom should rejoin the European Union
Resolved: In the United States, the benefits of the use of generative artificial intelligence in education outweigh the harms
Resolved: The United States should accede to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court
Resolved: The African Union should grant diplomatic recognition to the Republic of Somaliland as an independent state
Resolved: The United States should substantially reduce its military support of Taiwan
Resolved: The United States federal government should substantially expand its surveillance infrastructure along its southern border
Resolved: The United States federal government should ban single-use plastics
Resolved: The United States federal government should forgive all federal student loan debt
Resolved: The United States federal government should substantially increase its military presence in the Arctic

Page updated

Google Sites

Report abuse