Northeast Great Debate brings multinational group to Villanova

The 2018 edition of the Northeast Great Debate — hosted by longtime National Hispanic Institute partner Villanova University  — convened July 24-29, with an international group of students again coming to Philadelphia to experience their first NHI program.

The top-placing students hailed from three of the participating nations — Panamá Mexico, and the United States — setting up for what could be a particularly impressive 2019 edition of LDZ Las Americas. The winners included:

Athenaeum
1st Place: Jose Otero, All Hallows HS, New York, New York
2nd Place: Markus Calero, The Stony Brook School, Yonkers, New York
3rd Place: Oscar Barria Robles, Colegio Javier, Panamá, Panamá

Oratory
1st Place: Juan Felipe Gonzalez, Colegio Brader, Panamá, Panamá
2nd Place: Jose Lara, Instituto Lux de Leon, Leon, Mexico
All-State: Caitlyn Santiago, Saint Jean Baptiste HS, New York, New York

Extemporaneous Speaking
1st Place: Jonatan Vasquez, Colegio Javier, Panamá, Panamá
2nd Place: Ana Isabel Amado, Colegio Real, Panamá, Panamá
All-State: Andrea Espinosa, Colegio de Panamá, Panamá, Panamá

Cross Examination
1st Place: Carlos Bollar, Lenape HS, Medford, New Jersey, and Daniela Baez, Mexico
2nd Place: Patricio Pitti, Academia Internacional Boquete, Alto Boquete, Panama, and Cristelle Lopez, Panamerican School, Panamá, Panamá
All-State: Caroline Mueller, Massachusetts, and Maxwell Gonzalez, New York

Mock Trial
1st Place: Miles Karteron, Peekskill High School, Peekskill, New York, and Breana Cabrera, Early College HS, Houston, Texas
2nd Place: Damian de la Guardia, Colegio San Agustin Panamá, Panamá, Panamá, and Alejandra Delgado, Escuela Sierra Nevada Interlomas, Interlomas, Mexico
All-State: Montserrat Nieto, Texas, and Mia Melendez, Westtown School, West Chester, Pennsylvania

Steve Merritt Award
Sara Martinez, Colegio Javier, Panamá, Panamá

Hall of Fame Award
Jamilah Atif, Academy of Mount Saint Ursula, Bronx, New York

‘The program taught me to trust myself a little bit more,” said Sophia Galbraith, one of the Panamanian students who travelled to Villanova for the event. “I also learned that sometimes, the result isn’t as important as knowing that you didn’t give up.”

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