Undergraduate / "I love to debate" - personal quality, my Personal statement [14]

Prompt #2 : Tell us about a personal quality, talent, accomplishment, contribution or experience that is important to you. What about this quality or accomplishment makes you proud, and how does it relate to the person you are?

Of all the things that I enjoy doing I can honestly say that I love to speak, more specifically I love to debate. I have always been described as 'talkative but' it wasn't until middle school that I discovered any kind of outlet that was even slightly productive. During the Eighth grade my English teacher gave the class a debate project. We were supposed to debate the topic of Animal Testing and my assignment was to argue in favor of such testing. I'll be honest that project was probably the first thing I ever put all of my effort into, the moment I wrapped my mind around the assignment I can say that for the first time I truly cared about how the whole thing turned out. I wanted to get in front of the class and I wanted to tell them all exactly why I was right and most of all I wanted them to believe it.

When I got in front of that class and when my opponent got in front of me it was like nothing I had ever felt before. It was combat with nothing but words as weapons and I never enjoyed being in a classroom more than when I stood there in front of everyone and tried to prove my point. That was my first experience with true passion and I was hooked. I loved the conflict; I loved the feeling of aggression as I sparred with someone else's opinion. What I love most about the idea of debate isn't what it is but rather what it is not. Most people think of an argument as simply two or people trying to talk over each other and eventually getting fed up with one another and leaving but that's not a true Debate. Debate is not some venue where two or more people simply scream at one another but an arena where opponents question one another's thinking. For that reason Debate is something that has followed me ever since and in part inspired my pursuit of a career in law.

What makes me feel most proud about debate is that I found something that I honestly love to do and something that I can pursue for the rest of my life. Debate has given me a way to express who I am, someone who is unafraid to express their opinion, and even more willing to fight for it.