Debate by Nathan

Debate by Nathan - December 2016 Scholarship Essay

It’s something some people look over, but in the end the most important. I’ve been my high
school’s varsity shortstop for 3 years now and won several awards doing so, but recently I’ve joined the debate team and it has impacted me in a major way.

I do not have this prestige resume with great grades, and that’s something I wish I could warn freshman and teach sophomore is that the most important thing in high school is your education, it determines your future, and it’s something I didn’t do. My junior year I turned my life and grades around and that’s what has mattered to me. I will be attending Baylor in the fall of 2017 and I plan on going to Law School after, which made me want to join my high schools debate team. The process of writing an LD debate case or a CX case is so intriguing, it makes me think on a different level, seeing not only both sides of a controversial topic but looking at the philosophical side of arguments.

Doing research and practicing with one of the top 100 attorneys, and also my mentor Sam Baxter has been more fun than I could have imagined. Learning certain speaking skills and how to have an open minded view of the world hearing what another person’s story is and looking through their perspective, something I wish I could share with everyone. My first tournament I place 5th out of 42 and the next I placed 1st of 34, and last weekend I performed well at the Longhorn Classic at UT. Meeting and debating some of the students from other schools made me realize that I was among future leaders of America including myself.

So my greatest school accomplishment is finding success in debate so far, ranking myself with some of the best, and if I could give advice to any underclass men it would be to get more involved in academic activities because your academics is what will make you excel to college and the real world. Now to close I would like to say I appreciate that there is no resume required for this scholarship, because if I could make my case to every school and scholarship donor I would. This scholarship would mean the world, and I’m not just saying that to be cliché but I truly mean it. I am attending an expensive school, that my parents tell me not to worry about but I know they think about it, and I just want to help them out. Also my brother is about to turn 16 and he will not only need a car, but in 2 years he will be going to college and the last thing I want Is to hinder that because I put a financial burden on my parents. So to be considered for the scholarship would mean a lot, thank you.