Debate and Forensics Team Member

I enjoy doing debate and forensics because of the creativity that it requires. It seems like debate and forensics might not have compatible types of creativity, but there is a lot of overlap between the types of brain muscles that are needed. Participating is made better by the positive and energetic team, and the opportunity to be a part of such an awesome team!

I am originally from San Diego, California, and am a Junior at Whitman College majoring in Rhetoric, Writing, and Public Discourse. My experiences as a Disabled, first-gen working-class, Latina, queer student shaped my initial approaches toward civil rights work, and I am especially passionate about the intersection of disability and education. In 2020, I began participating in Parliamentary Debate with the Whitman College Debate team, as a recipient of the Stephen J. Boyles Presidential Scholarship in Debate, and interned for the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights. Whitman’s Speech and Debate team pushed me to continue honing in on the public advocacy and critical research skill that lend to my current policy work.

I am a winner of the 2022 Heumann-Armstrong Award, the founder and president of Whitman College’s first-ever Disability affinity group, co-president of a San Diego-based illness-specific support group, and was most recently an intern at the Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy. Recently, I participated in the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) 2022 Summer Internship Program in D.C., and was a Law Fellow at Loyola Marymount Law School’s Coelho Center for Disability Law, Policy, and Innovation in the 2021-2022 class year. In the summer of 2023, I will be interning on Capitol Hill for Congresswoman Debbie Dingell as part of the Victory Congressional Internship, a Congressional Internship program for LGBTQ+ student activists.

I have debated for over 6 years and love debating. It allows me to compete in politics which is a great combination for a politics major with a seemingly never-ending competitive drive. Debate has taught me extremely valuable knowledge and strategies. Go Blues!

I’m an English major graduating in 2025. I participate in Parliamentary Debate and occasionally dabble in IPDA while doing Persuasive Speaking, Informative Speaking, Impromptu Speaking, and Extemporaneous Speaking. When I’m not debating, I write for the Whitman Wire and tutor in the Center of Writing and Speaking. After graduating, I hope to pursue a master’s degree and work in education.

Cormac Li

I started debate in high school and it was (still is) the extracurricular activity I've enjoyed the most. I met many talented people who I still connect with through participating in tournaments and went to many beautiful places with my friends.Doing debate helped me to gain knowledge from places I would never imagine and provided me challenges that I usually don't get from a typical classroom setting.