Newsweek Mightier supports the next generation of American leaders as they try to find common ground in our fractious, sometimes toxic, national conversation. Mightier will promote high school debate and the debaters, schools, coaches and mentors who are working to keep our Civil Discourse civil for the future.
Do you know a NAUDL-affiliated student or educator who deserves recognition? Nominate them for a spotlight feature on Mightier, and we’ll tell their story.
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Marianny Torres-Collado, who will be a junior in high school this fall, is a student debater with the Denver Urban Debate League. Learn about the positive impact that debate has had on her life with this video profile.
Volunteer coach Desma Marquez is teaching her girls to be 'aggressive' when presenting their arguments or going head-to-head with boys in cross-examination.
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'It's been kind of fun to become this bizarro-world minor celebrity,' Tabroom creater Chris Palmer told Newsweek.
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Douglas Matute, who oversees a Debate en Español program, moved to the U.S. at age 15 and didn't speak any English but had 'a stubbornness to not fall behind.'
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The student debaters said coaches Aaron and Cindi Timmons acted as a second set of parents, supervising them on trips and helping them through the competition
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The Westchester Academy for International Studies debate team formed five years ago and has only qualified for nationals three times.
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"It can get scary sometimes," one high school student told Newsweek recently, "but we have proved that we can still stand our ground."
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The Westchester Academy for International Studies debate team formed five years ago and has only qualified for nationals three times.
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"It can get scary sometimes," one high school student told Newsweek recently, "but we have proved that we can still stand our ground."
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If he loses at a tournament, Haven Howard will "fully submerge" himself in researching a topic and view defeat "as a reason to gain knowledge about something."
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Marianny Torres-Collado says participating in debate makes her "feel good" because she is able to engage with similar people, "so maybe I do belong."
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Isabella Long told Newsweek that many young people are more informed than adults about key issues and should be taken seriously.
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Noemie Durand admits she has had "some stage fright and, I'm not gonna lie, I still have it, but debate has helped me get over that fear to a certain extent."
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Ruby Trejo Ontiveros says debate can benefit students in the future by helping them "express what they think without a fight."
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Sanika Agarwalla said debate not only taught her how to speak but also "how to listen and how to be open to altering my perspectives."
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Marianny Torres-Collado says participating in debate makes her "feel good" because she is able to engage with similar people, "so maybe I do belong."
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Isabella Long told Newsweek that many young people are more informed than adults about key issues and should be taken seriously.
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Noemie Durand admits she has had "some stage fright and, I'm not gonna lie, I still have it, but debate has helped me get over that fear to a certain extent."
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Ruby Trejo Ontiveros says debate can benefit students in the future by helping them "express what they think without a fight."
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Sanika Agarwalla said debate not only taught her how to speak but also "how to listen and how to be open to altering my perspectives."
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High school debaters will present their cases at the kickoff event for NAUDL's 2023-2024 I RESOLVE series.
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Gwen Walz told Newsweek she has seen the difference that debate has made "for all kids, especially kids who may not feel like they had a voice."
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"You need debate, you need argument. It's something I welcome because it gets you to a better solution," Mayor Jacob Frey said at the Mayors Challenge event.
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The fundraising event is set to take place in Minneapolis on September 21
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"It's so nerdy, but debate is my passion in life," one of the students told Newsweek at the topic selection event.
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Judy Harris, co-founder of the Matthew Harris Ornstein Washington Summer Debate Institute, says the debaters' civility is "a model for an aching country."
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Gwen Walz told Newsweek she has seen the difference that debate has made "for all kids, especially kids who may not feel like they had a voice."
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"You need debate, you need argument. It's something I welcome because it gets you to a better solution," Mayor Jacob Frey said at the Mayors Challenge event.
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The fundraising event is set to take place in Minneapolis on September 21
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"It's so nerdy, but debate is my passion in life," one of the students told Newsweek at the topic selection event.
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Judy Harris, co-founder of the Matthew Harris Ornstein Washington Summer Debate Institute, says the debaters' civility is "a model for an aching country."
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