From leg to right: Scarlett Baeza, Kaikane Glorioso, Sophia Siangco, Bronwyn Almy, Darlene Mizrahi, Theodore McLain, Alexia Garcia, Kennedy Wardlaw, Julia Grabowski, Haven Amick, Jahaun Thompson, Bryanna Miyashiro, Kacie Chun, Skyy Blue, Joseph Serna, Grace Laudick.
On November 16, 2024, the Hawaiʻi Pacific University Debate Society hosted 17 students from Hawaiʻi Pacific University and Brigham Young University Hawaii at the 2024 Hawaiʻi Pacific Autumn Invitational.
This year, Theodore McLain and Scarlett Baeza from HPU won the event, with HPU’s Jahaun Thompson, Bronwyn Almy, and Haven Amick also competing in the Grand Finals. BYUH’s Noel Fulumua won the prestigious “Top Speaker” award, given to the student who maintained the highest speaker point average across the entire event. Congratulations to all award winners for this admirable achievement!
Debaters discussed four topics during this event:
- Round 1: This house supports the promotion of local spots (such as hikes, beaches, and restaurants) to
- Round 2: This house supports mail-in
- Round 3: This house believes that familial needs ought to be prioritized over individual
- Grand Finals: This house believes that the US Government should rebuild or reimburse homeowners who lose property due to natural disasters.
The HPU Debate Society extends a special mahalo to Hawai'i Pacific University's Department of Arts, Communication, Languages, and Media for the continued support, enabling the HPU Debate Society to host not only the 2024 Hawaii Pacific Autumn Invitational but also the upcoming 2025 Pan Pacific Debate Championships, to be held on March 21-22, 2025. The HPU Debate Society also thanks HPU alumna Grace Laudick and BYUH Professor Christina Akanoa for helping facilitate the event as head judges, as well as all the students who volunteered to help judge and staff the event.
The HPU Debate Society works to empower students to be able to speak effectively and defend their own beliefs through rigorous practice and competition. The HPU Debate Society primarily competes in the British Parliamentary Debate, a popular debate format used by a multitude of universities around the world.
For more information, please contact Kaikane Glorioso, Lecturer and Debate Coach, at kglorioso@hpu.edu.
