Send Stella to WIDPSC 2023 in South Africa!

Hello! My name is Stella, and I want to tell you about a chance of a lifetime I have coming up which I need your help to make a reality! I have qualified to be a part of the USA team at the World Individual Debate and Public Speaking Championships (WIDPSC) in Durban, South Africa in March 2023! I qualified at Internationals, a large tournament that happened at Deerfield Academy at the end of October. At that tournament, I made finals in every category I competed in, and at the awards ceremony I won first in Impromptu Speaking, third in After Dinner Speaking, and I placed third overall in the entire tournament among some of the highest ranking competitors from across the globe.

As you know, South Africa is a little far away from home (8,233 miles away, to be exact) and I need to raise $3500 to cover the cost of travel, lodging and tournament fees. I have worked very hard to qualify and have the chance to experience this incredible tournament in person. I hope as you read on you’ll want to help me get there!

A friend of mine who attended WIDPSC in person before covid says, “Going to Worlds was not only an incredible highlight of my time at SBS, but it also had a lasting impact on me through my time in University as well. The ability to connect with students around the globe and compete at such a high level gave me an incredible foundation for applying my debate and public speaking skill set to my further education and career”. I really would love to have that experience as well. I have put an incredible amount of blood, sweat, and tears into my debate and public speaking journey. It would be life-changing to get the opportunity to see that work pay off in this way: competing against the best of the best and being considered one of them. Finally, I want to meet my people! Being able to connect with other debaters has been incredible, and I have already made some amazing friends in this world. Going to Worlds would give me a chance to meet the best high school debaters in the entire world and make lifelong connections in a setting which you won’t find anywhere else. I want to connect with people who have worked as tirelessly as I have to be where we are.

Thank you in advance for any support you can offer! Happy Holidays :)