My name is Taite Kirkpatrick, and I am a senior from Mount Vernon High School* in Mount Vernon, Washington!

I am fundraising to attend the National Speech & Debate Association National Speech and Debate Tournament, this year hosted in Des Moines, Iowa. This will be the fourth year I have qualified to Nationals, and my third time attending as a member of Team Puget Sound.

I started in World Schools Debate at Nationals my freshman year. I was elated to be competing with my best friend, and fell in love with the event. I was 80th speaker of ~900, and my team finished as triple-octofinalists. Unfortunately, the day after earning that medal, I fell extremely ill. I entered a three-day coma and was hospitalized, eventually being diagnosed with Type I diabetes.

On the heels of that experience, with a newly diagnosed chronic illness, I was very scared of competing again. I was very depressed that summer after having to cancel all of my plans due to the medical issues. Thankfully, debate ended up being a much needed distraction. That summer, I applied for the USA Debate Developmental Team. This proved incredibly valuable to my personal development as a debater, as I got to meet more students competing in Worlds for the first time. Additionally, it led me to apply and become a member of Team USA Debate for the past two years.

When I started in Worlds my freshman year, the event wasn't offered in-person at any Washington State tournaments. By the end of my sophomore year, I worked with my coach to encourage the Washington State Forensics Association to officially make World Schools Debate a pilot event at the state tournament. This year, it has finally been incorporated into local tournaments around Washington.

Over my time in speech and debate, I have accumulated five state champion and three runner-up trophies, but my proudest accomplishment is that I believe part of my legacy in the Washington State speech and debate community will be the value of World Schools Debate.

Last year, Team Puget Sound narrowly missed our goal of making it to the top 16, instead finishing in the top 32 teams as double-octofinalists. I was 19th speaker of 900. I am incredibly excited - and honored - to have new teammates from around my area who are eager to compete in Worlds this year at Nationals! This will be my last tournament as a high school competitor.

Unfortunately, attending Nationals won't be possible for me without fundraising. Throughout my debate career, I've missed out on tournaments like NIETOC and TOC because the financial cost is too burdensome for my low-income, single-parent household to bare.

Thank you so much for considering supporting me.

*NOT affiliated or run through MVHS IN ANY WAY.