"Before I joined debate, I had a lot of behavior problems. I was angry and upset all the time. I was a member of a gang, and used to get in fights and break the law all the time. I was a thug. Since I never had anything to do after school, I was always in the streets. Two weeks before I joined the debate team I was shot at while playing basketball. If I never joined debate, I'd most likely be dead."
-Kariem, Brook Farm Academy
