When I first joined the Speech and Debate team I wasn’t concerned about learning or public speaking. I lived under rock when it came to the political world. I had no idea what was going on in Europe, or in the Middle East, and where exactly is Egypt located? I simply joined because I wanted something on my resume to show that I was a winner. I quickly realized that I was wrong about all of these things. Debate taught me that I am not the center of attention, but that there exists mountains of literature from the perspectives of other races, genders, and countries. Within these arguments represent a million different ways to view the world, and it is debatable whether or not these viewpoints make sense or offer the best perspective. The point is that they exist. I am grateful to be a part of such an inclusive community of educators and intellectuals. I have never met so many people that wanted to just learn and share their knowledge. This community has taught me about the world as much as it taught me about myself. When I look back on my college experience I will always remember the debate team. I will remember all the arguments I learned, the research I did, and the hours I spent cutting cards and speaking fast. I will remember all those stressful weekends and the days leading up them. But mostly I will remember the friendships I made here, the most quirky mix of friends I could ask for, and the memories we made together just being debaters, oh, and really lame debate jokes.
Sincerely,
Kurtis Lee
P.S. The Complexity K lives on.