(Don Feria for Bay Area News Group)įor Robert Hawkins, director of forensics for speech and debate at Diablo Valley College for the past seven years, the goal is always to guide his students toward the proper avenues and help them to move on to bigger and better things, he said in an interview. Recent graduates of the program brought home two national championships, winning 17 of the 18 rounds of competition. Director Robert Hawkins delivers opening remarks during the annual Speech and Debate Team Speech Night Performance Symphony at Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill, CA on Wednesday, April 19, 2023. The team has also shone at the American Forensics Association National Speech Tournament, where Manahil Syeda and Eden Ozeri represented Diablo Valley, with Syeda reaching the quarterfinal round of persuasive speaking, one of the most competitive rounds at the tournament. “And apparently, that skill set also is really good for computer scientists.” “Debate is basically about problem-solving, and being able to think of how you would come up with a solution to something and how to work through a ton of information,” he said. Villa said that students who participate in speech and debate develop a high level of communication skills and tend to later go on to become lawyers or, perhaps surprisingly, computer scientists. They were also recognized individually, with Hitomi selected as the first-place speaker, and Sabbadini chosen as the second-place speaker. The Diablo Valley College speech squad enjoyed other successes as well, with first-year competitors Emily Hitomi and Jason Sabbadini advancing to the final round of the National Parliamentary Debate Association novice division competition and taking second-place honors. “Their success is a testament to their skills and the quality of the training they receive through the DVC speech and debate team,” he said. Villa sees Seiersen and Keene “as not only role models for how to be great debaters but also how to give back to the next generation of competitors and students.” Current students were also coached by Seierson and Keene at regional tournaments this year. Villa, who has been coaching at the college for three years, said he is proud of all the performances arising out of the Diablo Valley College speech and debate team. Both say they are grateful to the Diablo Valley College team and administration for providing the assistance that has helped them reach this level of success. Their triumphs have established Seiersen and Keene as the top two parliamentary debate competitors in the nation. Seiersen was named the top speaker at the National Parliamentary Debate Association competition, while Keene was awarded the top speaker title at the National Parliamentary Tournament of Excellence, held at Diablo Valley’s Pleasant Hill campus. Seiersen and Keene, who graduated from Diablo Valley College in 2022, went undefeated in the National Parliamentary Debate Association contest, winning 17 out of 18 rounds across both competitions. Parliamentary debate is a demanding two-on-two style of debate that requires quick thinking and preparation, and it’s done at the high school and college level, where students are given a topic and then they have 30 minutes to prepare before they go into the debate, said Paul Villa, head of the Diablo Valley debate team, in an interview. Their victories crowned a successful season for the Diablo Valley team. Two Diablo Valley College alumni have been making waves in the world of speech and debate, showcasing the skills they honed at the community college on the national stage.īrenna Seiersen and Tristan Keene, both former co-captains of the Diablo Valley College speech and debate team, swept the competition and secured two national championship titles at the National Parliamentary Debate Association National Championship and the National Parliamentary Tournament of Excellence this spring.
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