Briefs

Debate Returns from Harvard Tournament

Written by Camila Gonzalez-Rivera, Co-Editor-in-Chief

February 19, 2026

Case Closed: Leah Ghebrelul, Sofia Lutfi, Preston Nguyen, Syed Ali, Sophia Ghebrelul, Maryam Al Gailani, Erica Carranza, and Gerardo Diaz sit in the train on their way to Harvard Square. “While we didn’t win the tournament, we were still able to learn about what we needed to work on and see how other teams structured their speeches,” Gerardo Diaz said. “Overall, this was an important learning experience I wouldn’t have dreamed on missing out.”

On Wednesday, February 18, qualified Speech and Debate members returned from their Tournament of Champions (TOC) at Harvard University in Boston, Massachusetts. Students competed as representatives of the district, preparing and delivering multiple speeches on assigned topics and competing against teams from across the country. While the group did not win, they were able to learn from other teams and the vast pool of judges who reviewed their strategically planned speeches.

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About the Contributor

Camila Gonzalez-Rivera, Co-Editor-in-Chief

Camila (’27) joined Kerronicle as a sophomore. She now serves as co-editor-in-chief for the newspaper. She enjoys drawing and writing in her free time while listening to music. She has an extensive CD collection, which mostly consists of various emo and alt-rock albums.