‘Consistent persistence’: Students shine at Texas Great Debate, with Tip of Texas triumphant again

The tradition of Tip of Texas being atop the Texas Great Debate rankings continues. 

The Tip of Texas debate team, representing Brownsville, Los Fresnos, and Rancho Viejo, won its ninth straight Texas Great Debate, securing the Silver Cup at NHI’s annual four-day event pitting seven teams from the state’s major metro areas – plus a team, for the second straight year, from Monterrey, Mexico, against one another. 

The Austin College-hosted event provided 222 students — who had been preparing for competition for several months prior to arriving in Sherman, Texas — an outlet they fully embraced. 

“What was different about this program is that the participants seem to be all in on in every aspect of the tournament,” said Isabella Sada Nieto, NHI’s director of the Four-Day Great Debates. “I saw every single person completely putting everything they had into their rounds, and outside of their rounds, they were still preparing for the next round … this group was very resilient in terms of what they were going to get out of the program.” 

Describing what she saw from students as a “consistent persistence” throughout the week, she added, “We saw a lot of love at this program, but … all of the regions, they all came in pretty full force.” 

Austin College Vice President for Institutional Enrollment Mary Randers remarked on the long-standing relationship at the heart of Texas Great Debate. 

“For over 35 years, Austin College and NHI have partnered to cultivate the next generation of leaders and world-changers,” she said. “This collaboration thrives because we share a foundational value: Investing in the extraordinary potential of the young people participating in The Great Debate. By delivering transformational experiences together, we equip these young people with the tools to actively impact all of our futures.”

Students embraced the challenges provided to them over the four days. 

“I’m hoping I learn a lot from NHI,” said Cam Sanchez, a member of the Austin team from Liberal Arts and Science Academy competing in Cross Examination, at the outset of the tournament. “I have been [over] these past couple of months, but being at the Great Debate, I feel like there are a lot of things that I can keep improving on, and leadership is one of them. I want to advocate for what I can, and I think just helping the community out by being one of those leaders really goes a long way.” 

Sanchez also noted, “We’ve already built such a strong connection between people that it feels like a family, and I just couldn’t ask for more.” 

Marcos Curiel, a member of the RGV team from Weslaco High School, competing in Mock Trial, said he’d tell prospective future Great Debaters that it will be “the best time of your life.

“It’s stressful at first, obviously, but the people here are great, and the experiences I had, I’ll definitely recommend,” he added.

Cross Examination

• 1st Place: Leeanette Gonzalez, Bishop Dunne Catholic School, Dallas, Texas, and Abigail Dominguez, Bishop Dunne Catholic School, Dallas, Texas (North Texas)
• 2nd Place: Matthew Kuntz-Korzenik, Veterans Memorial Early College High School, Brownsville, Texas, and Emiliano Vera, Veterans Memorial Early College High School, Brownsville, Texas (Tip of Texas) 
• All-State Leader: Osvaldo Gutierrez, Saint Joseph Academy, Brownsville, Texas (Tip of Texas)
• All-State Member: Alessandra Ortiz, James Pace Early College High School, Brownsville, Texas (Tip of Texas)

Oratory

• 1st Place: Viviana Garza, Saint Joseph Academy, Brownsville, Texas (Tip of Texas)
• 2nd Place: Gabriella Salazar, Stratford HS, Houston, Texas (Houston)
• All-State: Ariana Rodriguez, Lamar HS, Houston, Texas (Houston)

Mock Trial

• 1st Place: Camila Chavez, Loretto Academy, El Paso, Texas, and Ryan Lopez, Coronado HS, El Paso, Texas (El Paso)
• 2nd Place: Yuli Tomita, Coronado HS, El Paso, Texas, and Travis Barrera, Franklin HS, El Paso, Texas (El Paso)
• All-State Attorney: Regina Garza, Saint Joseph Academy, Brownsville, Texas (Tip of Texas)
• All-State Witness: Mario Ferrer, Weslaco HS, Weslaco, Texas (RGV)

Extemporaneous Speaking

• 1st Place: Sofia Valdez, East Early College HS, Houston, Texas (Houston)
• 2nd Place: Gabby Salazar, James Pace Early College High School, Brownsville, Texas (Tip of Texas)
• All-State: Eric Yu, Stratford HS, Houston, Texas (Houston)

Athenaeum

• 1st Place: San Antonio
• 2nd Place: RGV
• 3rd Place: Tip of Texas

Transformation Awards

Austin: Zacarias Garza (Liberal Arts and Science Academy, Austin, Texas)

El Paso: Emily Liang (Loretto Academy, El Paso, Texas)

Houston: Samuel Villalba Ortega (Patricia E. Paetow HS, Katy, Texas) 

Monterrey: Larisa Oliveros (Colegio Nexus, Monterrey, Mexico) 

North Texas: Daniele Ogidan (Young Men’s Leadership Academy, Fort Worth, Texas) 

RGV: Mario Ferrer (Weslaco HS, Weslaco, Texas) 

San Antonio: Santi Pruneda (Central Catholic HS, San Antonio, Texas) 

Tip of Texas: Zeb Jaross (Saint Joseph Academy, Brownsville, Texas) 

The Texas Great Debate is made possible in part by support from the Bezos Family Foundation and State Farm.

Isabella Cruz contributed to reporting on this story.