Hello everyone! My name is Desiree Delgadillo. I’m a rising senior at Huntington Park High School. My debate partner next year, Martin Saenz, a rising senior as well at Hunting Park High School has been consistently in debate for two years who's been awarded numerous times within LAMDL. We participate in policy debate through a non-profit organization called Los Angeles Metropolitan Debate League (LAMDL) for urban small schools. Within LAMDL, my previous debate partner and I went on to become champions at several tournaments and earned one out of the two spots for the Urban Debate National Championship tournament with the best urban debaters nationally where we made it to finals. As well as qualifying to the Tournament Of Champions where we compete against the top teams in the nation. As we look forward to our final year of debate as seniors next year, we are fundraising and asking for your support to attend JDI in kansas and other additional expenses together.

Throughout my debate experience, we have learned how to analyze critical college-level literature and truly understand the world around me while also maintaining advocacy skills and social skills we would’ve never gained without debate. Martin and I have consistently grown and put an immeasurable amount of time into debate.I want to go to debate camp because merit-based scholarships for college are one of my main opportunities to go to college. Debate has been an important part of life since freshman year because I know it can open doors for the both of us that wouldn’t be there previously coming from a family of Mexican immigrants. Thanks to debate I’m optimistic about my future not just in college but with going back to my community and helping. Debate camp is a part of gaining those critical skills to qualify and be successful at debate events like the Tournament of Champions, where colleges with competitive debate teams actively scout you for scholarships.

Though we have potential, we want to increase chances of our success next season through debate camp. There is still much for me to learn if I want to be competitive and open as many doors as I can through debate. With your support, I am fundraising for camp expenses such as plane tickets or additional food costs that can handle debate-related things. We as a team will be able to become better debater and this means a lot because as people of color from a low-income background, we do not always get opportunities and the same resources. Being the best debater team we can be will mean more opportunities and possible scholarships for college. The doors that debate can open up for me mean the possibility of being the first of my family to go to college. Any support will ensure a better shot at success with chances of merit-based debate scholarships. Thank you!