Junior Dee Tummala is a first-year debater and is learning what it takes to be on the team. Tummala has enjoyed seeing issues through other perspectives during her experience debating in Policy. “I learned from my mistakes easier with my partner. We worked together and built a friendship through the process. It was a really nice experience,” Tummala said.
Deekshanjani Tummala
Junior Deekshanjani Tummala took a debate course her freshman year. This year was the first year she competed competitively, and she struggled to find what type of debate she wanted to try.
“It was a new experience for me. Congress was complicated, and there were 10 different debaters in one room. The feeling of speaking in front of that many scared me. [Policy Debate] allowed me to be very converse. My partner and I could depend on each other. We cracked jokes in between, so it became a comedic relief whenever things got intense,” Tummala said. “It’s a new perspective since we both have different ideas.”
Learning that practice makes perfect, Tummala wants to continue to motivate herself throughout the process regardless of the fear she may feel.
“[Senior] Noah [Schell] was my presiding officer, and he told me, ‘you gotta get up and give a speech.’ Standing up and going with the flow made me realize I could do it. It was encouraging for me to try again,” Tummala said.
At the Ladue Tournament, Tummala competed in Policy for the first time after doubting herself during the class. She now sees debating can be a building experience rather than pure competition.
“I can go up and make whatever I’m talking about sound interesting for people. Before I went to [my first tournament], I always thought about how I wasn’t aware that I was capable of doing [debate]. It allows you to build more friendships. It’s just a nice experience in the end,” Tummala said.