The Debate Sphere by Dithyae

The Debate Sphere by Dithyae - May 2025 Scholarship Essay

Debate could not be a more life-changing activity in every connotation of the word. However, outside of the relatively small bubble it exists in, many people are unfamiliar with competitive debate and why it should be revered.Think about debate as a high-speed game of poker using arguments instead of playing cards.

From coordinating prep assignments with your team to researching the resolution(or topic), debaters must not only prepare for the unpredictable but readily embrace it. The best competitors learn to disassociate their personal preferences with their research arguments. This very idea, known as "switch-side debate," separates competitive debate from the ad-hominem attacks seen in politics. Our goal is to understand the idea the other team has introduced. Switch-side taught me to critically analyze any information fed to me, opening myself to unconsidered perspectives.

However, the value of debate does not solely lie in its academic nature, for it also fosters a beautiful community. I have been lucky enough to find comfort in the warmth of the debate community, earning the deep level of understanding–impossible to find anywhere else–with people who think at such a high level.

Even after passionate disputes in round, we can still go out to dinner afterward. And I always find conversations amongst the debate community meaningful. I genuinely believe that debate is among the most powerful communities and activities, testing many ideas to find practical solutions. There is no better forum to test ideas than in debate.

With unlimited time and money, I would build a global infrastructure for debate education—bringing the life-changing power of competitive debate to students in every corner of the world, regardless of geography, background, or income. I would make it all more accessible.

Debate, for me, has been far more than an extracurricular. It has been my classroom, my community, and my greatest teacher, as I’ve left behind my own personal bias and engaged in merit-based ideas. I’ve come to understand that empathy isn’t just a virtue, it’s a skill, built through rigorous exposure to opposing perspectives. In a world increasingly divided, this kind of intellectual switching is a necessity.

Right now, access to high-quality debate education is a privilege. ​ The students who most need it—the ones growing up without access to rigorous discussion, critical thinking, or safe spaces to challenge ideas—are often left out. Debate taught me how to think, how to speak, and more importantly, how to listen. Imagine if every young person had that opportunity.

I would develop a global debate curriculum that adapts to cultural contexts and languages, rooted in the principle of switch-side thinking. The format of debate I learned (World Schools Debate) relies on the knowledge of global challenges, not just domestic.

It wouldn’t just teach kids how to argue, it would teach them how to think compassionately and reason with logic. The curriculum would be free and available online, with established Debate Equity Centers in under-resourced regions. These would serve as after-school hubs where students could debate, work with mentors, attend workshops, and join local circuits—just like I did. They’d be community-powered and internationally supported, bridging academic enrichment and global citizenship.

I want to find a way to bring experienced debaters and coaches into rural, low-income, and marginalized communities for extended residencies. There would be a two-way exchange between students and teachers that treats every idea as worthy of examination, making debate become less of a club and more of a dialogue across generations and borders.
Most importantly, I would invest in the people who’ve already been changed by debate. Many former debaters become teachers, lawyers, activists, journalists. I think it's extremely valuable to have an alumni network that reinvests into the communities we come from, offering grants to start school debate teams, or access coaching.

If you strip debate down to its core, it’s about taking ideas seriously, even when we don’t agree with them, and engaging in discourse. It asks us to research, question, communicate, and imagine. In a world of polarization, misinformation, and conflict, these are not soft skills, they’re survival skills.

Debate changed my life. With unlimited resources, I would spend the rest of my life using debate to change the world.

The goal isn't to make everyone a debater, it’s to make every young person feel heard and empowered to engage with the world’s most pressing problems. Debate has taught me how to question ideas, understand others, and seek truth collaboratively. If given the chance, I’d spend a lifetime making sure every student has the same opportunity to learn those lessons.