Texas and Mexico students compete in Texas Star Great Debate

The Texas Star Great Debate, at San Antonio’s Our Lady of the Lake University, brought 126 students from Texas and Mexico together for this debate program, running June 23-28.

“This group of students quickly grasped the concepts and were eager to discuss and debate from day one,” said Analysse Escobar, co-education director for the program. “What we saw with this group is that our partner school districts really did select their top of the top students to represent their communities. It was really a pleasure working with them, and we plan to engage as many of them as possible to return to the LDZ and as volunteer John F. Lopez Fellows at next summer’s program.”

Winners for the individual events included:

Oratory
1st Place: Julian Solis, PSJA Memorial Early College HS, Alamo, Texas
2nd Place: Jesus Rosales, Eva Samano de Lopez Mateos ES, Torreon, Mex.
All-State: Esmeralda Salais, Spring Woods HS, Houston, Texas

Mock
1st Place: Vicente Martinez, La Joya HS, La Joya, Texas, & Sergio Tarango, El Dorado HS, El Paso, Texas
2nd Place: Carolina Martinez, Palmview HS, Palmview, Texas, & Aaron Sandoval, Eagle Pass HS, Eagle Pass, Texas
All-State: Adam Chavarria, Somerset HS, Von Ormy, Texas, & Anthony Guzman, PSJA North HS, Pharr, Texas; Leroy Torres, McCallum HS, Austin, Texas, & Jason Merino, Cristo Rey Jesuit Houston, Houston, Texas

Extemp
1st Place: Juan Madrid, La Joya HS, La Joya, Texas
2nd Place: Mia Neally, Alamo Heights HS, Alamo Heights, Texas
All-State: Brandon Guzman, PSJA North HS, Pharr, Texas

CX
1st Place: Mariana Garza Tijerina, Colegio Americano de Torreon, Torreon, Mex., & Marina Perez Munoz, Sierra Nevada ES, Huixquilucan, Mex.
2nd Place: Manuel Ramos, Pearsall HS, Pearsall, Texas, & Noemi Rodriguez, Donna North HS, Donna, Texas
All-State: Vanessa Montalvo, Instituto San Roberto, San Pedro Garza Garcia, Mex., & Renee Chapa, Cotulla HS, Cotulla, Texas; Lorena Zelaya, Spring Woods HS, Houston, Texas, & Jonathan Garza, PSJA North, Pharr, Texas