Victoria Santa Lucia

While at PBHS I competed in mostly debate style. I competed in LD my freshman year and then PF with my partner Natalie Luna Sophomore-Senior year. I also had the opportunity to do one competition of World Schools and one Congress session. Weekend tournaments were always nerve racking not knowing when or if you would place all day. One of my fondest memories was my freshman year’s Novice State’s. I remember being so nervous that entire tournament and I did terrible, honestly, but I ended up learning so much from my opponents.

I currently live in Galicia, Spain, and have done so since I graduated from Rollins College in 2024 with a Double Major in Latin American and Caribbean Studies and in Spanish with a double minor in Political Science and History. Since moving to Spain I have been teaching English to students 7-12 grade as well as a technical course in Tourism. I look back at my time in debate as a way of practicing for this role as a teacher due to so many things. I feel super confident and comfortable speaking in front of my students and co-workers and I am able to think swiftly and find solutions quickly. One of the main ways I see how doing debate has helped me was through my service as a judge.

When I was judging at tournaments, I could have been the judge that just criticized the entire debate, but I knew that wasn’t the best way for the new debaters to learn. I still utilize things like a “compliment sandwich” with my students to this day to make sure their confidence is never hindered by a harsh comment, much like how I was as a judge. 

I am so incredibly grateful for all the lessons, memories, and experiences PBHS debate has given me. Even after almost 10 years after I started, this debate program lives in my heart, rent-free.