I have been part of USC’s debate team for the third year now and joining the team was one of the best decisions I made at USC. One of the main reasons I participate in debate is because debate for me is my little escape world from the world of science and engineering; and I do enjoy following on current news and politics which makes the activity be even more fun.

 

The best part of being in the Trojan Debate Squad (TDS) for me is the team dynamics. Most of the team members have become close friends from traveling all over the country together to spending multiple sleepless nights in the squad room before tournaments, as well as having team bonding events once in a while. The coaching staff also is phenomenal because not only do they care about how well we do in debate tournaments, but also in our classes and academic life in general.

The debate community overall is also an interesting component of my experience as a college debater. Not only have I gotten to know students from our district which includes California, Arizona, and Nevada, I have also gotten the opportunity to meet and interact with students from all over the country.

It is true that the extracurriculars I have chosen to participate in have influenced my college experience tremendously and my college experience thus far has been great primarily because of my time with the TDS.