By YJ Staff | HPU’s Student Speaker Bureau speech and debate team recently competed at the Texas Intercollegiate Forensics Association Spring Championship tournament, held at Texas State University in San Marcos. HPU won fourth overall sweepstakes in speech and debate combined.
Freshman Rishona Raub, Guy D. Newman Honors Academy, communication, and social work major from Celina, advanced to finals in extemporaneous speaking, winning fifth place overall.
In parliamentary debate, HPU took two of the top 10 debate speakers. Parker Brown, Guy D. Newman honors academy and jurisprudence major from Fairfax County, Va. placed seventh, and Raub placed ninth.
In IPDA debate, HPU also had two of the top 10 speakers, with Devin Schurman, Guy D. Newman honors academy, communication, and public policy major from San Antonio in seventh, and Esmeralda Maldonado, senior communication and jurisprudence major from Whitney placing eighth.
Also placing and earning points for the team was the interpretive duo team of Alex Mendoza, sophomore theatre major from Bangs, and Rayden Hicks, freshman communication and youth ministry major from San Angelo, who placed fifth overall with their dramatic duo interpretation piece.
Dr. Julie Welker, professor of communication and chair of the Department of Communication, coaches the team.
“I’m very proud of our young team, all of our debate teams had strong records during prelims, and our students all competed very well in individual events. Rishona advancing in extemp was outstanding,” said Welker.
“Each of our team members receives a scholarship for competing on the team. They work very hard to earn these rankings, and I’m excited about the coming years for this team,” added Welker.
HPU competed against 18 colleges and universities from Texas and Mississippi.
The HPU speech and debate team will travel to Grove City, Pa. in March to compete in the National Christian College Forensics Association national tournament.