Great Debate, NHI Programs
Midwest Great Debate encourages 100 students from Mexico and the U.S. to be ‘best versions of themselves’
About 100 students, including a considerable contingent from Mexico, descended on the Quad Cities for the 2024 edition of the Midwest Great Debate, held at Augustana College from July 2-7.
Luis Jauregui, Educational Director of the program and an Augustana graduate, noted, “Slowly, as the week progressed, you could slowly start to see them all coming out of their shells, and many of the participants even expressing that, ‘The way I’m acting here, the way I’m behaving around all of you, I don’t do this back home.'”
He added, “This environment just helped them be the best versions of themselves, because they felt safe, they felt comfortable. So it was really encouraging for myself to hear as the educational director, and I feel like it was just as encouraging for the rest of the staff to see them, feeling that we’re making an impact.”
Liz Nino, the Executive Director of International Enrollment at the host institution, said, “Augustana College has had a wonderful 20-year partnership with NHI, and it’s always a highlight of our year. This program does an amazing job helping students find their voice and advocate for the Latino community. At Augustana, we’re committed to supporting the Latino community, and we’re always excited to see students from across the country and international students make their way to our campus.”
She added, “On behalf of the college, I would like to personally invite NHI’ers to consider Augustana College for their future studies. We know they have all the qualities to thrive in college.”
Jauregui said of Augustana, which is his alma mater as well as the host school for the program that launched his NHI journey, “It honestly feels like home. And like I feel like I’ve been saying that ever since I was a participant in the Midwest Great Debate 12 years ago. I just simply remember telling my parents when I was growing up that if I was able to learn so much about myself in just four days, imagine what I was going to pull off in four years. And now for a lot of our staff members to this day, all they’ve ever known when it comes to the Midwest Great Debate is Augustana.
Award winners for the event included:
Oratory
- 1st Place: Julio Meza, Escuela Sierra Nevada Interlomas, Jesús del Monte, Mexico
- 2nd Place: Amanda Muro, Instituto de Ciencias, Zapopan, Mexico
- All-State: Carlos Sandoval, Escuela Sierra Nevada, Huixquilucan, Mexico
Extemporaneous Speaking
- 1st Place: Rob Orlofske, Pleasant Valley High School, Bettencourt, Iowa
- 2nd Place: Andrea Castillo, Escuela Sierra Nevada Interlomas, Jesús del Monte, Mexico
- All-State: Alfonso Nambo, Instituto de Ciencias, Zapopan, Mexico
Cross Examination
- 1st Place: Ariel Dominguez, Marshalltown High School, Marshalltown, Iowa (Leader); Emiliano Hurtado, DePaul College Prep, Chicago, Illinois (Member)
- 2nd Place: Alejandro Tamariz, Escuela Sierra Nevada Interlomas, Jesús del Monte, Mexico (Leader); Emilio Soto, Escuela Sierra Nevada Interlomas, Jesús del Monte, Mexico (Member)
- All-State: Giovanni Rosales, Lane Tech College Prep High School, Chicago, Illinois (Leader); Amy Castrejon Cortez, Highland Park High School, Highland Park, Illinois (Member)
Transformation Awards
- Gabriela Aguillon, Hoffman Estates High School, Schaumberg, Illinois
- Xavier Badagliacco, Frederick Von Steuben Metropolitan Science Center, Chicago, Illinois
- Ruby Bucio, Morton East High School, Cicero, Illinois
- Tiffany Garcia, John Hancock College Preparatory High School,
- Maryfer Gutierrez Olvera, Escuela Sierra Nevada, Huixquilucan, Mexico
- Sarai Morales, Our Lady Of Tepeyac High School, Chicago, Illinois
- Maya Murrillo, Morton West High School, Berwyn, Illinois
- Francisco Piña, Walter Payton College Prep, Chicago, Illinois
Athenaeum
- 1st Place (The United Not the Divided): Jalynn Martinez, Palatine High School, Palatine, Illinois; Yamil Martinez, Morton West High School, Berwyn, Illinois; Daniel Rosales, Mather High School, Chicago, Illinois; Donavin Sanchez, Argo Community High School, Summit, Illinois; Scarlett Velazquez, Palatine High School, Palatine, Illinois
- 2nd Place (The Great Popes): Ana Paulina Beas, Instituto de Ciencias, Zapopan, Mexico; Matias Orozco, Instituto de Ciencias, Zapopan, Mexico; Matias Rosales, Instituto de Ciencias, Zapopan, Mexico; Renata Valle, Instituto de Ciencias, Zapopan, Mexico
- 3rd Place (Voz Latina): Arianna Alvarado, Morton East High School, Cicero, Illinois; Padme Diaz de Leon, Instituto Leónes, León, Mexico; Isabel Sanchez, Argo Community High School, Summit, Illinois; Jacqueline Vera, Morton West High School, Berwyn, Illinois
Hall of Fame Award
- Sofia de la Mora Martinez, Instituto de Ciencias, Zapopan, Mexico
Chris Pluta Award
- Thomas Schmidt, Instituto Lux, A.C., León, Mexico
The 2024 Midwest Great Debate was made possible in part by support from State Farm and Walmart.
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