Humans of Harker: Emmie Malyugina finds a passion for debate

“I like that [debate] allows for lot of creativity. The topics are pretty broad and you can focus on one thing and talk about that. There [are] many different styles that are acceptable [and] there [are] different types of arguments, so you can choose whatever you want to do or whatever you are good at. I like the debate community in general; I have made lot of friends from all over the U.S. That is also very cool,” Emmie Malyugina (12) said.

Nisha Shankar

“I like that [debate] allows for lot of creativity. The topics are pretty broad and you can focus on one thing and talk about that. There [are] many different styles that are acceptable [and] there [are] different types of arguments, so you can choose whatever you want to do or whatever you are good at. I like the debate community in general; I have made lot of friends from all over the U.S. That is also very cool,” Emmie Malyugina (12) said.

by Nisha Shankar, Reporter
February 4, 2017

Through Lincoln-Douglas (LD) debate, Emmie Malyugina (12) deliberates over moral dilemmas in topics from economics to social justice.

“I did not get into [debate] until this year because I used to dance outside of school, so I competed [in debate] just on weekends,” Emmie said. “But this year, I have started competing a lot. I have become a lot better very quickly and now I am winning, which is fun.”

Emmie has been debating since her freshman year and used to do Policy debate before she switched to LD.

“LD rounds are shorter and less tiring,” Emmie said. “I have done a lot better in LD than I did in Policy, personally, because I got really invested once I switched… LD is less of a hassle.”

Emmie competed in the Glenbrooks Speech and Debate Tournament from Nov. 19 to Nov. 23. Later in the school year, she will compete in national tournaments, including the Tournament of Champions (TOC) and the National Debate Coaches Association (NDCA), both of which happen near the end of the year.

The Harker speech and debate program has its own traditions, which the team observes each year.

“We celebrate at Dave and Busters at the end of the year,” Emmie said. “We also have a bunch of stuffed animals that we have all named. There are three little Harker Eagles. They are all over the classrooms. At tournaments, we go to Mongolian BBQ places a lot.”

Over the summer, Emmie went to Victory Briefs Institute (VBI), a debate camp hosted at UCLA. She also went to Dartmouth Debate Institute (DDI) at Dartmouth College.

“You had to apply to get in,” Emmie said. “For Harker’s debate class, you don’t have to apply. It was also more intense, like 12 hours a day. At Harker, for varsity debate class, you don’t have to do anything. But [at the camps], you have to do lot of drills [and] research. Also, you get to work with a lot of different staff members, who have a lot of different ideas on how you should debate.”

Emmie enjoys learning debate at both Harker and outside of school at debate camps.

“I think there are benefits to both,” she said. “I like the people I met at the camp. I do not think if I only debated for Harker, I would miss out on what other coaches have to say. I also like Harker debate because I have been part of the team for four years. I have friends here too. It is nice to get to know one teacher and one team for four years.”