Subconscious Debate by Brenda

Subconscious Debate by Brenda - September 2021 Scholarship Essay

Even though I am not the most outspoken, I've always been a strongly opinionated person. More specifically on topics that I am passionate about.
When it comes to discussing certain topics in class I find that I am more able to speak up when it is in relation to my personal beliefs.
A specific moment where something I believe in was challenged in a classroom was my freshman year. It was an organized debate in my Geography class on whether or not illegal immigrants should be allowed to stay in the U.S. Because I personally have encountered this topic before I knew right away what side I would be on. I had heard many things in my past that have greatly impacted my opinion on this topic which led to my decision. After deciding the side I would argue for, it was time to do some research. I learned a lot about how to find credible resources but what stuck to me the most was that many people only chose the opposing side because it was easier to defend. Knowing this I realized that it was going to be more difficult to gather evidence for my side and slowly began to stop looking for facts to support my argument. When the day of the debate came along I realized that I had very little evidence to use and was overwhelmed by the number of people who were arguing against the side I was arguing for. When the class got divided I saw that only around 5 other students were on the same side as me and to make matters worse very few of them were wanting to state any evidence that they had. This left me to speak up. Between me and another one of my classmates we began to build up an argument for our side but it was difficult. Even though this was only an assignment I believe it taught me a lot. I learned that it is always important to choose to stand up for what you believe in but also to prepare for what others might have to say in response. People will always have something to say and many times you will be unprepared for it. This is why it is important to be ready and accept that sometimes you just never know what is heading your way. This also taught me the impotence of speaking with others and collaborating in order to succeed together instead of trying to do it all between two people. Because it would have been far easier if everyone on our side would have taken our time to put together all of the evidence we had in order to build a stronger argument. Alongside this, it was difficult to not be able to state evidence out of the fear of speaking in front of others. Furthermore, it is also necessary that you are open to hear out the other side and always stay open-minded. It is not a fair or friendly discussion when there is no respect for the other person's opinion, which is something else that I feel I learned from this experience as well as the importance of public speaking.