2018 Midwest Great Debate unifies students at Augustana

One of the most enduring of the NHI programs returned to one of its longest-serving host institutions earlier this month, with a contingent of 84 rising 10th graders from across the U.S. and Mexico converging on Augustana College for the 2018 Midwest Great Debate.

Fatima Ortega-Barba, the Athenaeum winner from Warren Township High School in Gurnee, Illinois, perhaps captured the spirit of the program best by saying, “It’s not about winning, it’s about making new friends and bettering yourself.” She noted, “I like how our teams bonded really quickly and we created a friendship really quickly,” and also added that as the week progressed, “I learned to be more confident in myself and stop doubting my ideas.”

Eddie Camacho, from James B. Conant High School in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, noted, “What I’ve learned about the Latino community this week is that we are a strong, whole community. No matter who labels us, w are still strong till the end.”

The theme of social labeling, and how the Latino community might react to that, was also echoed by Uriel Campos Padilla of Marshalltown High School — part of an Iowa group of students who made the journey to Augustana — who pointed out, “It’s not just the social labels, there’s a lot more to us than people think.”

Winners at the 2018 Midwest Great Debate, with included standouts from San Antonio, Texas, and León, Mexico, as well as a group from the Chicago metro area, included:

Athenaeum
1st Place: Fatima Ortega-Barba, Warren Township HS, Gurnee, Illinois
2nd Place: Jackie Chavez, Fremd HS, Palatine, Illinois
3rd Place: Eddie Camacho, James B. Conant HS, Hoffman Estates, Illinois

Oratory
1st Place: Alison Fernandez, Thomas Jefferson HS, San Antonio, Texas
2nd Place: Cristal Moreno, Addison Trail HS, Addison, Illinois
All-State: Rodrigo Rosales Visoso, Instituto Lux, León, Mexico

Extemporaneous Speaking
1st Place: Alexander Vega, Argo Community HS, Summit, Illinois
2nd Place: Alejandra Rodriguez, Lyons Township HS, La Grange, Illinois
All-State: Jorge Reyes, Wauconda HS, Wauconda, Illinois

Cross Examination
1st Place: Paulina Argomaniz, Wauconda HS, Wauconda, Illinois, and Jessica Quintero, Lyons Township HS, La Grange, Illinois
2nd Place: Alexis Arellano, Plano HS, Plano, Illinois, and Santiago Hernandez, Thomas Jefferson HS, San Antonio, Texas
All-State: Natalia Madrigal, Lyons Township HS, La Grange, Illinois, and Veronica Reyes, Wauconda HS, Wauconda, Illinois

Chris Pluta Award
Uriel Campos Padilla, Marshalltown HS, Marshalltown, Iowa

Hall of Fame Award
Maria Jose Orozco Uricrte, Instituto Lux, León, Mexico

Most Improved
Ethan Gasner, Storm Lake HS, Storm Lake, Iowa
Abelardo Ledesma, Lanier HS, San Antonio, Texas
George Mendoza, Sam Houston HS, San Antonio, Texas
Ricardo Montoya, Plano HS, Plano, Illinois
Katrina Ramirez, Burbank HS, San Antonio, Texas
Sarahy Ramirez, Palatine HS, Palatine, Illinois
Raul Tejeda, Storm Lake HS, Storm Lake, Iowa
Ivan Vazquez, Grayslake North HS, Grayslake, Illinois

The 2018 Midwest Great Debate was sponsored in part by State Farm.