I remember the first time I heard the words, “speech and debate." I was in a communication studies class at Orange Coast College, and the professor told me that I should join the team because she thought I could be successful at it. I was skeptical (and otherwise clueless as to what “speech and debate” even was). Nevertheless, I walked into the classroom the first Tuesday of the semester and was struck by something the moment I walked into the room that I wasn’t expecting: acceptance.

For those of you who don’t know, speech and debate is an academic extra or co-curricular activity in which, similar to track and field, there are many types of competitive events under each umbrella of “speech” and “debate”. Events range from speaking with limited preparation, more traditional memorized and researched platform speeches, and multiple subdivisions of debate, to even the interpretation and dramatization of literature. While at OCC, I participated in most of the events that fall under the “speech” category.

Everyone joins speech and debate for different reasons. Some join because they like standing up in front of people and talking, others because they enjoy arguing and getting their point across, and still others because they have artistic ideas flowing inside of them that they need a release for.

But then there are those that join because for the first time, someone told them that they could be a part of something. Maybe they don’t get any support at home and they are looking for a family. Maybe they feel like they are not heard, and speech and debate offers them a platform where people will pay attention to them and teach them how powerful their voice is. It is these people that I believe, make speech and debate an activity worth fighting for. When you think of school activities, it is most likely the ones that taught you skills which cross apply to not only academia, but also your everyday life that have made the most impact. But even more, it is the people who taught you, the teammates that challenged you, and the friends that were there for you when you won, and when you lost that will stay with you forever.

In my experience, speech and debate is not about winning trophies and collecting academic accomplishments to put on your resume (although, there is plenty of that). Speech is about training world changers. It’s about giving confidence to people that will eventually end up politicians, activists, artists, performers, history makers - people who believe that no matter what, they should speak up for the voiceless, fight fiercely for equality, and be the leaders of this next generation.

When I first stepped foot into the speech and debate room I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I had no idea that I would make best friends, would find love, would discover who I am, and would go through the hardest times of my life. But more than anything, being a part of a speech and debate team is what helped me survive those times. The coaches that I worked under cared for me beyond just being an asset to the team; they helped me buy food when I ran out of money, they comforted me when I cried, and encouraged me to get professional help for my eating disorder. Overall, being on the OCC Speech and Debate Team taught me that I am worth something: that I am worth listening to; that people really care about me as an individual and my well-being; that I am intelligent enough to make an argument and demand to be heard. I can help to inspire other people, and that those people will also inspire me. During this time, I was pushed to the limit and challenged to do my very best. The coaches (who are also teachers) willingly donate so much of their time (that they do not get accurately compensated for) to pour into the student’s lives, because they know that speech and debate changes the lives of the students that are a part of it. I spent two years growing, learning, teaching, crying, fighting, finding myself, pouring my heart into each performance, and becoming the woman that I was meant to be - something that I can assure you would not have happened without the support, teaching, and community of speech and debate.

The committee in charge of financials at Orange Coast College has this year decided to cut down the OCC Speech, Debate and Theater Team’s budget 80 percent. This is not only unreasonable, but I can only hope that it is a grave error that they intend to reverse. Cutting the funds of programs such as this does not only harm the school itself, but the community as a whole, taking away the ability to in effect, challenge as many students as possible to speak loudly and without inhibition for forward progress. Speech and debate offers something beyond what other non-academic extracurriculars do not: a platform to fight for what needs to be changed in this world, and the training to be successful at it.

More than anything, it is of the utmost importance to recognize that my story is not unique. I am one of hundreds of individuals that have been impacted by the OCC Speech, Debate and Theater Team. I am just one of thousands of students across the United States who have found their voice and had their lives changed through competing in speech and debate. And while yes, this article is in response to a degradation in funds for a specific community college, there are so many programs that have had their budgets cut, or otherwise completely taken away because the schools do not see value in the impact that they are having. We must fight the idea that it is perfectly okay to take funding away from programs that are consistently changing the lives of students across this nation.

Here is a link to the GoFundMe page to support the Orange Coast College Speech and Debate Team: https://www.gofundme.com/2akugym4