Celebrating Our 2023 Graduates
Congratulations to our 2023 Graduates! This cohort of students spent the majority of their high school career overcoming obstacles placed in front of them by the COVID-19 pandemic. We admire their drive and resilience in the face of these complicated changes. Congratulations- your efforts paid off!
We are excited to share their future plans, reflections on debate, and senior quotes at the MNUDL blog:
Cayden Mayer – Central High School
Debate Participation: High School Policy Debate, Financial Literacy Debate, MDAW Summer Camp, Middle School Debate
Future Plans: Studying English at University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
Scholarships: NAUDL Debater of the Year Finalist Schoalrship | UDNC Finalist Scholarship | Raymond A. Reister Scholarship | Bentson Family Scholarship | Dean’s Research Award
Advice to fellow students: “Focus on experiencing a variety of different activities early on in high school and remember that if you feel nervous or overwhelmed, there is a very high chance everyone else around you do too.”
Favorite debate memory: “I loved meeting new folks from other schools and some of my favorite memories are the very intense debates I would have with some of my closest friends. We would go from debating about joke arguments to very competitive rounds in an instant and it was always very fun.”
Maren Lien – Central High School
Debate Participation: High School Policy Debate, Financial Literacy Debate, MDAW Summer Camp, Middle School Debate
Future Plans: Studying Visual Arts & Animation at Minneapolis College of Art & Design
Scholarships: UDNC finalist scholarship ($5,000), MCAD trustee scholarship ($100,000), MCAD Laptop scholarship (MacBook)
Advice to younger students: “Grades don’t define you or your success – you aren’t graded on how good of a human being you are or what you take pride in.”
Senior quote: “Logic informed me that under the circumstances, the only possible action would have to be one of desperation. Logical decision, logically arrived at.” -Spock
Peter Nguyen – Central High School
Debate Participation: High School Policy Debate
Future Plans: Studying Education at Loyola University-Chicago
Scholarships: Waitlist for Minuteman Scholarship
Advice to younger students: “Make sure to diversify! Learn about your community and find something that you’d want to try out!”
Sophia Moore – Como Park Senior High School
Debate Participation: High School Policy Debate, Middle School Debate
Future Plans: Studying Education at Concordia University-St. Paul
Scholarships: Jon Schumacher Scholarship | Ace Alexander Scholarship | Marine Corps Scholarship | CSP Diversity Scholarship | CSP PSEO Scholarship | CSP University Scholarship
Advice to younger students: “Don’t rush into anything but instead, focus on having good grades and staying involved.”
Favorite debate memory: “Joining the debate team taught me about teamwork and it also helped me make new friends. It helped me reach my full potential throughout high school.”
Melani Canseco Jorge – Edison HS
Debate Participation: Spanish Debate League
Future Plans: Studying at a Community College/Associates Degree program
Scholarships: Edison Scholarship and Memorial Foundation
Senior Quote: Teenwolf S6 E2 – 3:57 – 4:01
Claudia de Paz – Edison HS
Debate Participation: Spanish Debate League
Future Plans: Getting Undergraduate Degree at Saint Cloud State University
Advice to younger students: “Just turn in your work in time and you’ll be fine.”
Senior Quote: “This didn’t come with directions”
Ashley Sosa-Bustillos – Edison High School
Debate Participation: Spanish Debate
Future Plans: Studying Nursing at St. Catherine University
Scholarships Granted: St. Catherine Of Alexandria Scholarship, Hacer Scholarship, Page Grant, Wes Scholarship
Advice to first year students: “Good luck, and don’t stress out. High school is fun, but don’t slack off.”
Sebastian Crea – Highland Park Senior High School
Debate Participation: High School Policy Debate, MDAW Summer Camp, Middle School Debate
Future Plans: Studying Psychology at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
Advice to younger students: “Do debate”
Senior Quote: “The earth is shaped like a velociraptor, don’t let the government fool you.”
Fareedah Oyesola – Johnson HS
Debate Participation: High School Policy Debate
Future Plans: Studying Finance at Saint Mary’s University in Minnesota
Scholarships: The Saint Mary’s First Generation Initiatives (FGI) Scholarship, The 4-year Wallin Scholarship, The National Veteran Business Development Council (NVBDC) Scholarship
Advice to younger students: “Always try to have fun. Don’t be afraid to try out new things especially new clubs as it could be a great way for you to build confidence, find your voice, or even discover talents or interests. This mentality is what prompted me to try out the debate team and I am really glad I did that. Also, do not just simply put off getting your high school affairs in order till your last year. I saw a lot of people do that and it seemed stressful for them trying to catch up as they wanted to make sure they walked across the graduation stage with their friends.”
Favorite debate memory: “One memory I will never forget about my time in debate was just being at the tournament against other schools. For me, those 2 days of the tournament were very enlightening, especially since me and my partner were novices going against people who were really advanced. Apart from what I have seen on TV, it was my first time actually seeing people talk extremely fast and still get their points across accurately. It was a scary yet fun thing to experience.”
Sophia LaBrie – Roosevelt High School
Debate Participation: High School Policy Debate, Middle School Debate
Future Plans: Studying Environmental Science at a 4-year institution
Advice to younger students: “Stick with it, but try not to stress too much.”
Favorite debate memory: “I mostly did debate in middle school. It was such an amazing experience and my coach was wonderful. I remember going and running around the schools at tournaments being so excited and sometimes late.”
Paola Garcia – Roosevelt Senior HS
Debate Participation: High School Policy Debate
Future Plans: Getting Undergraduate Degree at Hamline University
Advice to younger students: “Be yourself and try your best so that you can see your results in 4 years.”
Favorite debate memory: “Debate helped me with my public speaking so much. Even if I was in debate for one year that one year really impacted me so much. I would definitely encourage everyone to debate sometime in their life, because you will never know the impact it can have on you.”
Abby Peters – Roseville Area High School
Debate Participation: High School LD Debate
Future Plans: Taking a gap year with future plans to study history and economics
Advice to first-year students: “Don’t take yourself too seriously and have fun with everything you do. People don’t pay as much attention as you think, and this is your time to try new things outside of your comfort zone and make mistakes!”
Jasper Peterson-Hartmann – Roseville Area High School
Debate Participation: High School Policy Debate, MDAW Summer Camp
Future Plans: Studying Biology at the University of Minnesota-Duluth
Advice for first year students: “Everything learned in school can be tied to debate.”
Maribel Ayala – Tartan High School
Debate Participation: High School Policy Debate
Future Plans: Attending Augsburg University
Scholarships Earned: The Augsburg Promise Grant
Advice to first year students: “Success isn’t measured by the amount of wins. It’s when you see growth.”
Senior Quote: “You learn more by losing than winning.”
Simon Noble – Washburn High School
Debate Participation: High School Policy Debate
Future Plans: Studying Computer Science at Carleton College
Scholarships Earned: UNCF Best Buy Scholarship and the Wallin Scholarship
Advice for first year students: “Don’t overfill your schedule and don’t be afraid to try new things while remaining true to yourself.”
Tufa Hassen – Washington Technology Magnet School
Debate Participation: High School Policy Debate, Middle School Debate
Future Plans: Studying Computer Science at the University of Minnesota
Scholarships: President Emerging Scholarship, U Promise Scholarship
Advice to younger students: “Start off strong in the beginning, create a study plan that works for you, and learn to manage your time.”
Favorite debate memory: “When I first started to debate, I didn’t think I was going to enjoy it this much. Debate helped me find my voice and learn to advocate for myself. During the time I was debating, it was a very big part of my life. I remember, I would come home after tournaments and my parents would be waiting to hear all about it. Being a first generation student, my parents didn’t have the opportunity that I had. So, I was glad to have them live through me. Thank you so much for all that debate has offered me!”
Mary Yang – Washington Technology Magnet School
Debate Participation: Middle School Debate
Future Plans: Attending Augsburg University
Scholarships Earned: Regents & Early Auggie Scholarship
