• 

• 

• 

Three TMI Episcopal sophomores placed high at the National Hispanic Institute’s Texas Great Debate x2, an international speech and debate competition held online Aug. 5-7.

Elise Bostian took first place in Extemporaneous Speaking, defending the “con” position on the resolution, In a post-COVID-19 world, the LatinX community should rewrite their social narrative.

“NHI was incredibly educational and taught me a lot of new skills, while still giving criticism where needed,” Bostian said. “During competition, I could see myself improve with every speech, and I look forward to finding new competitions to participate in the future, as I think public speaking is one of my favorite skills.

Next year, Bostian will take part in the Institute’s Lorenzo de Zavala Legislative Session, a leadership program for rising juniors. At TMI, she is a member of the Corps of Cadets (JROTC) and participates in Model UN.

Also representing TMI were Gabrielle Beck and Auden Murphy, who advanced to the speech competition’s Elite 8 in Oratory and Extemporaneous Speaking, respectively. All three helped secure a second-place finish overall for San Antonio, one of 11 regions competing.

Since the late 1970s, the National Hispanic Institute has created experiences that engage achieving high-school and college-age youth in community leadership roles.