Words to the Wise 2026: Student Voices Bring SVUDL’s Work to Life
SVUDL CEO Rolland Janairo began the evening by posing a question: how many in the room had a sense of what SVUDL does every day both inside and outside the classroom? He described how SVUDL brings Speech and Debate to the community, and asked three students to demonstrate their skills, underscoring the breadth and depth of Speech and Debate.
First came Greidys Sotelo, a senior at Andrew Hill High School, who competes in Policy Debate and Debate en Español. When Rolland asked her to address why the U.S. federal government should establish national health insurance similar to Brazil, she gave a powerful example of Debate en Español, followed in English. She warned that recent cuts to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act could cost millions of Americans their coverage.
Up next was Dhyana Desai, a junior at Silver Creek High School, who recently made SVUDL history when she competed at the National Speech & Debate Association’s national championship tournament, after qualifying in the Program of Oral Interpretation Speech event. This event combines prose and drama to illustrate a theme, and Dhyana performed an excerpt from her piece titled, “Rejection Kills” - a dramatic piece about a woman who received a marriage proposal made in front of thousands in a sports venue. “This is for the woman who says no” she said in her closing statement to a spellbound audience.
Angeles Flor Jauregui, a senior at Latino College Preparatory Academy, illustrated the impact SVUDL makes during the school day with state-approved electives and Debate Centered Instruction, where teachers build debate into the curriculum. In her economics class, Angeles’ class was recently asked to determine which of the four basic types of economic systems is the most competitive. Angeles was tasked to defend the traditional market, demonstrating Speech and Debate skills under the pressure of speaking in front of the many guests of Words to the Wise. She noted how she had to think critically about the topic, become accustomed to advocating for stances she wouldn’t normally pick for herself, and how much deeper she learned about topics when facing questions and challenges from peers, in addition to her teachers.
These three students highlighted the opportunities afforded by Speech and Debate, and how both inside the classroom and after school, SVUDL students:
Practice public speaking;
Develop critical baselines of knowledge through rigorous research;
Think nimbly on their toes and adjust their plans and arguments based on their audience; and
Collaborate effectively with peers to explore ideas, ask questions, challenge each other, and grapple with topics that are critical to everyday civic life.
SVUDL is so grateful to these students for sharing their voices with the Words to the Wise audience!
Stay tuned for a recap of our fireside chat with Mara Liasson - coming next week!
