As you may have taken notice, the debate team is looking for new members to recruit. Many current debate students explain how debate has influenced a large part of their everyday lives.
“If you would have told my middle school/elementary school self that I would be doing debate, I would have laughed in your face. I would never expect myself to stand up and speak in public, but here I am,bb” Lizbeth Martinez, a junior, said.
With a similar statement, “I joined debate because I believed I was a very introverted person, and I really wanted to get out of my comfort zone,” Chelsea Sanchez, a junior, said.
These students have explained that being in debate has allowed them to become more cooperative with each other, while preparing for these competitions. “When we’re preparing for competitions, we start with a week of prep. We collaborate with our teammates, ask practice questions and [give feedback],” Edwin Ochoa, a junior, said.
Students have also mentioned that, not only does it help better collaborate with teammates, but also collaborate better with different students from schools at competitions. “I’ve stayed really late, like Saturdays, we leave until 10pm, and I always wait till the very end. Those are my favorite days because I get to meet new people, I make new friends, [and] make connections,” Martinez said.
In addition to this, some said they enjoy learning from different people and their different views. “Even when I’m debating, I like learning from other people, and seeing the new arguments I can pick up,” Martinez said.
These students really enjoy debate because of coach Bautista’s way of teaching. “I think Bautistas’ a great coach. He makes sure to [say things] in a concise, understandable way,” Ochoa said.
Furthermore, students also mentioned how his feedback is really important to them. “He judges for debates as well, so I really take into consideration what he tells me. I use that advice to better my argument,” Sanchez said.
Debate members mention how being in debate has already helped them grow in specific skills. “This is my second year in debate so a couple of things I’ve already gained are public speaking skills and writing skills,” Martinez said.
Overall, many students indicate they join to gain or improve their skills. “Mainly what I want to focus on is speaking skills. The amount of speaking skills [taught] is amazing and it [addresses] issues with public speaking or in front of an audience in general,” Ochoa said.