December 20, 2022 | By Sayyida Jean-Charles
This past Saturday, BDL Alumni gathered together for the first-ever Alumni Debate Tournament (ADT) at Isaacson Miller in the Seaport. The event was a time for Alumni to reconnect with each other and BDL staff, but most importantly, former debaters came out to see who would win the first-ever alumni debate tournament and settle the question of who the best alumni debaters really are.
The space was filled with happiness and laughter as Alumni and staff caught up with each other, but when it was time to debate, the energy in the room changed. Alumni got straight to business prepping their arguments.
Two teams from each division competed for the trophy. The debate topic – “Does social media do more harm or good to society overall”? Representing Debate en Español team one was Julio Nivar, Cristel Torres, and Luis Fajardo. On team two was Raulina Rodriguez, David Rivera, and Jhon Martinez. For the English debate, team one was composed of Finnian Nilbert, and Nedcar Faugas, with group two featuring Ranner Faugas, Byrant Gomez, and Frezzella Cullinane.
Joining us were two special guest judges, fellow BDL Alum and current BDL After School Debate and Resolved Program Manager, Joshua Nixon and President and CEO of El Mundo Boston, Alberto Vasallo, III. After listening to their arguments, Joshua determined that Ranner Faugas, Bryant Gomez, and Frezzella Cullinane won their round. Alberto declared that Raulina Rodriguez, David Rivera, and Jhon Martinez won their round with their convincing closing statement.
As we ended the evening, three Alumni won new BDL merch from our raffle and we continued the new BDL tradition of gifting an official alumni pin to all Alumni. We also continued the BDL tradition of friendly, competitive banter. Check out the message from one of the winning teams.
Thank you to all Alumni who attended the event! We wish you Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year. And we hope you get ready for ADT 2023!