Alumni Testimonials

 

From David Yaroslavsky, 2000 Expository State Champion; Class of 2000:

As an awkward kid who didn’t know anyone coming to a new high school, I found Speech and Debate in the first few days or weeks of school and with it came so many people who were fun, funny, always open to trying new things, approachable, and friendly. We always had fun, be it practicing, competing, or just messing around with speech games that inevitably bettered our skills. (The team) was always a safe space where we could mess up without ridicule and face only encouragement from our peers.

 

Looking back at the last fourteen years since graduating from high school, I am so grateful to Speech and Debate for informing the way I think, the way I speak, and the way I carry myself. Debate (I would realize long after competing in it) showed me how to formulate arguments, listen and critique other people’s arguments, and think generally about a problem. It is a skill that has served me well in my profession as an attorney. That skill and many others did not come naturally to me. Only a few people truly understand how much I grew as a speaker in my time at high school, and that growth was significant.

 

When I left high school, I left with so many tools that I use every day in my life, be it at work or with friends, without which I would be a much different person with a much different life. Most significantly, I would be much less successful, and I mean that in every way one could define that term — in my job, in my relationships, emotionally. I (now) have no problem speaking to crowds, be it juries in the courtroom or banquet-halls and theaters full of people — and more than that, it’s fun. This self-confidence is indescribable, and along with it comes great self-awareness. The combination of the two has made me a better advocate in everything I do. My ability to communicate and the way in which I do so in my day-to-day life is something I am proud of and which I owe to Speech and Debate.

 

From Angelina Finau, state-ranked (13th & 16th) in Dramatic Interpretation; Class of 2013

I walked into my first tournament with my hair in braids. I walked into my last tournament in "goddess hair." It’s funny how those two statements alone reflect a world of growth that occurred in the 4 years I attended James Monroe High School.

I joined Speech and Debate intent on making friends and maybe even gaining the confidence to not shake in front of my class when I gave a presentation. I got much, much more than I bargained for. Speech and Debate gave me the things people search their entire lives looking for.

 

Speech gave me the opportunity to feel beautiful to feel powerful to feel talented.

 

That being said, speech would not be possible without all the people I have met. Speech was one heck of a whirlwind with one on-coming tournament after another. Our team would not have been as much of a success without Ms. Graber.

Ms. Graber, I think it goes without saying that you do so much for each and every student who is lucky enough to have the benefit of your coaching. You applaud us when we do well, you yell at us when we don’t work as hard as we should. You welcome students into your home (often feeding us yummy cheeses and much more) to work/cut/time/find pieces. You take us to tournaments and yell at us when our parents don’t pick us up on time. You critique and change our performances. You tell us how to dress so that the judge will not think we are a stripper or homeless or a homeless stripper. You are a coach who forces students not only to push ourselves past limitations but also to discover things about ourselves that we might never have known. You have changed my life and I will always be grateful for everything you’ve done.