The annual debate tournament took place from Feb. 14 to Feb. 16, during which the PPCHS debate students traveled to compete in the prestigious Harvard Invitational, hosted by Harvard University, an international competition open to students worldwide that offers a variety of events.
Alejandro Agudelo, Lorenzo Carvajal, Nusaybah Arif, Sasmit Reddy Gonthi, Martin Petkov, Finn Phelps-Crossman, Nathalie Ralfelt, and Andres Ayala stayed together in an Airbnb with their coach, Kelly Schwab, creating an opportunity to compete, learn, and bond.
“The Harvard Invitational was open to anyone, and therefore eight of us decided to sign up and compete,” Ayala says.
“The waitlist was tough — Nathalie and I barely made it through, but the eight of us eventually made our way to Boston for five days.”
Everyone received a different debatable format. Students participated in various competitions: Agudelo and Carvajal in Varsity Congressional Debate, simulating Congress; Arif and Gonthi in Junior Lincoln-Douglas Debate, discussing philosophical and policy issues; and Petkov, Crossman, and Ralfelt with their partner in Public Forum Debate (PF).
“Well, Nathalie and I participated in seven full rounds of nearly an hour in the span of three days, so it was definitely action-packed,” Ayala explains.
“We worked closely with Martin and Finn, since all members of PF were debating the same topic regarding the FTC and sports betting. We all helped each other prepare, so it was definitely a very bonding experience.”
Between rounds, every student was strengthening their arguments, researching, and practicing their speeches. While not every team advanced, the experience itself was life-changing to each student. PPCHS debaters expressed how intimidating it was to be exposed to debaters from all over the country.
“It was just incredible to be in the presence of so many intelligent individuals on a campus that I have dreamed of [attending] since I was five years old,” Nusaybah Arif says.
“To be on the same campus, in the same rooms, it truly was just a dream come true. [Additionally,] the debate team is really close to one another, so I loved being able to do this with some of my closest friends.”
Competing with top debate programs in the country, the students won awards and gained confidence, resilience, and friendship.
The group of eight students soon realized that the Harvard Invitational was more than just a tournament; it was five days of collaboration and assurance that with practice comes achievement.
Each student helped the other prepare, and each student described the event as a very positive experience in which they not only learned extensively about each other but also about themselves and their capabilities.
Ralfelt and Ayala broke to the quad-octofinals, while Arif broke to the triple octos. All three earned diplomas for their efforts.
“It made us feel so incredibly accomplished — the fruits of about a month and a half of our labor were showing, and we were all ecstatic to have made the elimination rounds in one of the most prestigious competitions that we had competed in,” expresses Ayala.
