In a lot of ways, I can comfortably credit the debate program at LHS with giving me an understanding of what I wanted to pursue in college and beyond, along with a cohesive narrative and comprehensive skill set that led to me naturally finding other extracurriculars that I genuinely enjoyed throughout high school. The debate community (both within Lexington and all over the country) has given me mentors, mentees, and most importantly, a set of friends that I’ll continue to know for years to come.

The memories I gathered at debate tournaments are some of the warmest from my high school years. The friendships I made through the activity carry over to this day. And the analytical skills I developed in lectures, practices, and competitive debates were no doubt the best preparation I could have received for political advocacy and academic research. Everything I do is shaped by my experiences on the Lexington Debate Team.

I would credit debate, to some extent, for my success in college. The self-advocacy and critical thinking skills that are developed through participation in high-school debate are cross-applicable to almost any job or any field of study, and the ability to speak confidently is invaluable.

Debate is just about the coolest thing I've ever done. It looks good on a resume and it is incredibly educational in that it gives you research and advocacy skills. And debate is just fun! You get to test your wits against someone else and meet people from across the country. But I think best of all debate gives you confidence; it teaches you to be a person with presence, and that's the most important thing of all.

Coming from someone who could barely stand on stage in front of a crowd before doing high school debate, there was nothing like speaking 200 words per minute in the presence of an audience to help me overcome those fears.

In addition to being fun and exciting, LHS Debate provided me with valuable experience. As an attorney, I regularly rely on skills that I first developed as a high school debater.