SVUDL Showed Me that the Only Person Limiting Me is Myself
When Isabella Hernandez first joined SVUDL as a sophomore at Downtown College Prep, she thought it might sharpen her speaking skills. Three years later, she discovered it changed something much deeper.
"I have learned to rely on myself," she says, now a senior at Latino College Preparatory Academy. "I used to depend on the opinions of others – my family, friends, or classmates. Impromptu Speech pushed me to trust my own intelligence and think on my feet. By stepping away from what others thought, I developed the ability to believe in myself."
That belief didn't come overnight. Starting as a sophomore, Isabella often felt like she was a few steps behind. But she kept showing up. By the start of her senior year, she took on an entirely new challenge: World Schools debate. "It was completely different from anything I was used to," she recalls. "But I applied myself and tried really hard. These experiences showed me that the only person stopping me — and limiting me — is myself."
What's surprised her most isn't the trophies or the tournament wins. It's the growth she didn't see coming. "I never thought I'd be here telling others about my experience with Speech and Debate," she reflects. "It's an invisible kind of growth. It's the confidence I've developed, and the friendships I've made."
Central to that experience has been community. Isabella describes the bond among SVUDL students as something genuinely unique. "We've all seen each other grow and root for one another, because we all have the same goal: to try as hard as we can. SVUDL creates a safe space where you don't fail — you just learn something new."
That ethos extends to competition itself. "The excitement after countless late nights researching and a win is real," she says. "But so are the bonds you build working with your team. Competition within SVUDL creates a deep level of respect, because we're not competing against each other. We're competing with each other. We push each other to grow and discover parts of ourselves we didn't know existed."
Her coaches, in particular, have left a lasting mark. When college application season arrived, they were there for more than proofreading. "They would sit down with me and push me to be the most authentic version of myself," Isabella says. "Because we work so closely together, they understood my goals and my dreams. College applications can feel like judgment with schools comparing you to thousands of others. Having my coaches beside me meant I wasn't standing alone. In the moments I didn't believe in myself, their refusal to let me play it safe was the best support I could have gotten."
Looking back, Isabella is grateful for all of it, including the late nights, the nerves, and the growth. "SVUDL is committed to students," she says. "Helping them learn, providing resources, and being there both physically and emotionally when students need it most. That's what makes it so special."
