Students learn community equity building principles at 2025 Texas Star Great Debate

The concept of community equity building is central to what NHI does, and a group of NHI students took their first steps toward understanding it, by participating in the 2025 Texas Star Great Debate at Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio.

Nearly 80 students came to the program to develop their public speaking and leadership skills, while learning how to approach communities with an asset-based mindset to grow and develop them.

“We had a fantastic staff and a fantastic set of students who understood to heart the principles of community equity building, who understood their role in bringing about the future that their communities deserved and the future that they got to write for their communities,” said Paolo Hernandez, the program’s Co-Education Director. “They understood the fact that if they don’t invest back in their communities, then we can’t build the future of our dreams, and that we also get to benefit from those investments.”

She added that “we saw community equity building in action” through the actions of former Texas Star participants in Mathis, Texas, who “mobilized their community [and] brought 15 kids that they themselves recruited.

“We saw the same in Cotulla. We saw the same in Fort Worth,” she added. “We have trained change makers in our communities who are ready to take on the challenges of the future.”

‘A celebration of young leadership’

“We know this is going to be a healthy and rigorous competition, but it’s also a celebration of young leadership, of oratory and of a sense of purpose,” said Dr. Alan Silva, Provost and Vice President of Affairs at Our Lady of the Lake University, welcoming students to campus at the program’s opening ceremonies, covered by the San Antonio Express-News to highlight the partnership between NHI and OLLU.

“We’re exceptionally proud to have a program here that is focusing on building leadership for the future and helping young people develop with public speaking and communication skills that strengthen their desire to become outstanding leaders,” he added. “We’re really proud to be one step on your leadership journey.”

“At the beginning of this week, I was super shy, and I was scared to make friends and just socialize with other people. I was also scared to be on the mic and just with public speaking in general,” said Alina Varela from Americas High School in El Paso, Texas. “Coming to the close of this program, I feel that I’ve created a lot of new friends, and I feel more comfortable talking with people, and I feel more comfortable with the mic now.”

“NHI is really fun,” said Austin Santiago, from Louis D. Brandeis High School in San Antonio, Texas. “We’ve learned a lot of new lessons, like team development, like collaboration and leadership.”

Award Winners

The Transformation Award winners, given to one person from each of the teams created on the program’s first day, for growth and development displayed during the program, included:

• Andrew Diaz, Southwest HS, San Antonio, Texas
• Kyrsten Garza, Burbank HS, San Antonio, Texas
• Ayers Hampton, Tarrant County College South Collegiate HS, Fort Worth, Texas
• Isaac Hinojosa, Harlingen School of Health Professions, Harlingen, Texas
• Soledad Perez, New Deal HS, New Deal, Texas
• Soraya Saenz, Jubilee Lake View University Prep, San Antonio, Texas
• Audrey Salinas, Mathis HS, Mathis, Texas

Category award winners included:

Cross Examination

• 1st Place: Mykelle Garcia, Cotulla HS, Cotulla, Texas, and Isabella Valdes, Eagle Pass HS, Eagle Pass, Texas
• 2nd Place: Grace Vela, Lamar Academy, McAllen, Texas, and Juan Pablo Aguirre, John F. Kennedy, the American School of Querétaro, Santiago de Querétaro, Mexico
• All-State Leader: Louis Perez, Brackenridge HS, San Antonio, Texas
• All-State Member: Samuel Morales, Strake Jesuit College Preparatory, Houston, Texas

Oratory

• 1st Place: Valentina Aranda, Tec de Monterrey Campus Metepec, Metepec, Mexico
• 2nd Place: Alina Vela, Americas HS, El Paso, Texas
• All-State: Alexandro Flores, Jubilee Academies San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas

Extemporaneous Speaking

• 1st Place: Katya Jimenez, John F. Kennedy, the American School of Querétaro, Santiago de Querétaro, Mexico
• 2nd Place: Tyler Reynolds, Cotulla HS, Cotulla, Texas
• All-State: Elanna Dominguez, Liberal Arts and Science Academy, Austin, Texas

Athenaeum

• 1st Place: Jaden Barrera, Mathis HS, Mathis, Texas; Marla Garcia, Jubilee Academy Brownsville, Brownsville, Texas; Christopher Guevara, Fort Worth HS, Fort Worth, Texas; Noeli Martinez, Ferris HS, Ferris, Texas; Levi Gutierrez, Mathis HS, Mathis, Texas; Juliana Del Toro, Cotulla HS, Cotulla, Texas
• 2nd Place: Conner Gonzalez, Compass Academy Charter School, Odessa, Texas; Sophia Ortiz, Claudia Taylor Johnson HS, San Antonio, Texas; Audrey Salinas, Mathis HS, Mathis, Texas; Sol Perez, New Deal HS, New Deal, Texas; Jade Lopez, HS, Mathis, Texas; Diego Ybarra, IDEA College Preparatory Alamo, Donna, Texas

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

Piper Davidson and Brooke Lopez contributed to reporting on this story.