10 minutes. 600 seconds. 600,000 milliseconds. From weeks spent scrolling through news articles to grueling nights behind her laptop screen, from countless, mindless repetitions of the same words chasing perfect timing and just the right tone, junior Ayslyn Arredondoput forth her all into this informative speech. 

“My speech has taken a lot of time and effort, and the hardest part is the memorization and blocking. I spend a lot of my class time reciting my speech to try and keep up my confidence,” Arredondo said. “I’m super excited to finally be able to share it.”

Mr. Matthew Stewart, Legacy’s Debate Coach, assisted her in the creative process. Additionally, he guided her in brainstorming for the visual presentation portion of her speech despite his lack of experience in the visual aspect. 

“Many competitors make elaborate designs and graphics to enhance their speech, and anything design-focused is going to be a huge weakness for me,” Mr. Stewart said. “My biggest concern was that I wouldn’t be able to help with a core component of the performance because I don’t have a strong background in design.”

In crafting her speech, Arredondo created a poster board with pictures and graphs to add emphasis and provide insight into her words. 

“Her idea with utilizing PVC pipes to demonstrate the literal school-to-prison pipeline as she discusses it is a very novel idea that I think will allow the performance to stand out and that’s done a lot to alleviate my own concerns about my shortcomings and really validates the talent that she has for the event,” Mr Stewart said. “I’m thankful that Ayslyn has been really driven with her approach to the design of the visual aids and has been coming up with really great things to add to the content of the performance.”

During her speech-writing journey, Arredondo was required to the viability and timeliness of her topic, how the topic currently impacts others, and why should people care about a problem that may not directly affect them. Arredondo and Mr. Stewart agree that it’s been an adjustment for both of them. 

“Any great speech is going to encourage conversation and advocate for the change the speaker wants to see in the world. I think Ayslyn has identified an issue that is ongoing and continues to develop throughout the country and is a needed conversation. To that effect, I think her speech will shine a light on how sweeping policies can push students into the gaps in systems that lead to long-term harms, and I hope that does encourage further discussion and engagement,” Mr. Stewart said. “I really do look forward to seeing how people react to the performance and what new ideas they can offer to us to allow the speech to continue to do all it can to create change.”

The biggest adjustment to Arredondo’s writing identified itself as making her speech fit in the context of a competitive debate tournament. However, after almost a year and a half of constructing the speech, Arredondo moved on to working out the finer details of memorization and blocking. 

“I think Ayslyn has developed a ton of ownership over her work. It’s much less of me over her shoulder making sure what’s being written works, or making sure the research is on point because she’s established consistently that she’s up to that task and takes the authenticity around her research seriously,” Mr. Stewart said. “It’s wonderful getting to see students find validation in their own work instead of seeking validation from outside sources and I think that’s the biggest thing that is going to make her speech exceptional.”

Arredondo expressed hopes of sending bits of the debate team, herself included, to TFA and UIL state and nationals. She credits her team with building her up when she falls short and Mr. Stewart with the opportunity to compete. 

“While preparing my speech, my biggest obstacle has been getting in my own head. From the beginning of it all to even now I get in my own head with thinking I’m not good enough, my speech will never be done, or I’ll never memorize it all. With the support of my team I’m able to control it but it’s a really hard feeling to shake,” Arredondo said. “The debate team has played a big role in overcoming my obstacles. They have also been here to give advice, critiques, and an outside look. They have been a major support system for me and I am grateful to be a part of it.”