My family has always liked arguing. I know that’s kind of an interesting way to start this story but it’s important. My dad used it to his advantage to become a lawyer and that's why we moved to Minnesota in the first place. Turns out, when your family loves nothing more than civil discussion, you end up with a fixation for discourse. This led me to get into policy debate through the MNUDL in 7th grade. My first year I ended up finishing 7th in the Novice division but next year I got a new partner and I was ready for more. At the end of the year, we were ready to put the cherry on top of our season with citywide. Going into the final debate but we were sure that we wouldn’t come up empty handed. The air in the classroom was tense and the lights were bright with the standard racing of my heart and pulsing of my brain to accompany the unanimous silence of focus but I had gotten used to these things. But, at the end of the debate, we won and I hold the memory of the head of the MNUDL saying “And in 10th place, *me and my partners name*” and the weight being lifted off my shoulders like a boulder that had been there for days before in anticipation of this moment. My debate medals are like a physical reminder of this and all the things I can achieve when I try.

– HD :) :)

Relationship:  Great-grandchild of im/migrant or more Great-grandchild of im/migrant or more