A group of Lone Star College-CyFair current and alumni students recently traveled to Huntsville for a prison debate rematch competition with Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) incarcerated men, who are members of the Lee College Debate Team - and they got redemption with two wins!
"After six rounds of fierce competition, our students garnered two wins, two split decisions in favor of Lee College and two losses. I’m so proud of them" said LSC-CyFair Professor Heidi Jo Green. "Our extra pre-match practice and perseverance proved pivotal for LSC-CyFair to defeat the previously undefeated inmate learners. We look forward to another rematch."
Last spring, while LSC-CyFair’s student debaters fell short of a victory in the behind-the-bars competition, the college was the first community college in the last five years to take on the inmate learners, who have competed and defeated award-winning university debate student teams such as Prairie View, Sam Houston, Texas A&M and Wiley College.
This fall, squaring off with the Lee College inmate learners, LSC-CyFair’s student-led team of current and former students in Federal Government, Texas Politics, Introduction to Political Science, the Political Science Club and the Student Political Advocacy Club, included Agustin Gonzalez, Ella Kagan, Chloe Houeiss, Kellen Wilson, Alan Aguirre, Mmesoma Ezebube, Tara Murphy, Chantel Oseni, Aaron Orea, Cam'Ron Bailey, Kristen Henderson, Gabriella Powell, Kamela Flomo, Sana Siddiqi and Bryce Borak.
Student Perspectives
Interested in “taking another shot” for a win in the face-off matches were returning LSC-CyFair student debaters Wilson, Gonzalez, Ezebube, Murphy and Siddiqi.
“In preparation this time, we hosted more practices, at first one a week, then as we got closer, three times a week. We practiced things like flowing, actual debates, speeches and so on. We took a more aggressive approach to it … and it paid off,” said Wilson, who served as debate captain.
Providing his take on this this unique experience, Wilson, a political science major interested in law and public service, said “I see this helping me in my future. I want to know our prison system better, what needs to change, and what we, as the future generation, can do about it.”
Several first-time student debaters in this competition also shared benefits and impact of their participation.
“I think this experience will have a huge impact on my professional future — not just in communication skills, but in learning how to think clearly under pressure, build strong arguments and connect ideas logically,” Kagan, seeking a career in the medical or sports medicine field, said. “Those skills translate into any field, especially one focused on health and helping others.”
Houeiss, a future CPA, cited an improvement in research skills and ability to think on her feet while Orea, a chemical engineering major, said gaining debate skills will help him better articulate whatever points he tries to make in the future.
Stepping out of his comfort zone, Bailey, a sociology major with hopes to become a diplomat, said he not only could sharpen skills but find his voice while, Aguirre, a political science major, said “This experience helped my critical thinking skills and public speaking skills, all of which will most definitely be useful no matter what I do jn the future.”
Final Thoughts
Scoring the two wins for LSC-CyFair were Wilson and Houeiss and Murphy and Gonzalez; however it was a group effort and win for all the participating debaters.
“Win or lose, this competition helps improve the students’ communication skills and confidence while providing an impactful insight into the lives of inmate learners in the prison system through engaging lunchtime conversations and collaboration,” said Professor Green.
While this year’s debate matches were new beyond-the-classroom learning moments, Professor Green has taken more than 100 students each semester on tours to the prison for a decade now, and last spring, she took her federal government student on a Port Houston Boat Tour.