I attended the University of Oregon high school tournament in 1998 during my first year in high school and winning that tournament in the junior division was a turning point in my career and made me think very favorably on the university based on how well it was hosted by then Director of Forensics Rick Peacor.

I ultimately won 5th place in the high school national tournament, a level that was unprecedented for a policy debater from Oregon. I applied to certain universities, and was accepted and recruited as a valued debater for multiple private schools, which included many calls from members of the debate team to encourage me to attend their university. I would not have applied to or attended UO without the debate program, regardless of receiving the Presidential Scholarship from UO that covered my full tuition or acceptance to the Clark Honors College. Simply put, without the debate program, or the recruiting efforts of a dedicated Director of Forensics, I would have never considered attending UO as a potential path forward.