By Max Alexander

Shadab Ali, a freshman at Silver Creek, is a top debater on the speech and debate team, and he gave some insight on what it’s like for him on the team. 

Ali was born in Boise, Idaho in July of 2007. Ever since he was young, he was amazing with words, excelling with his vocabulary and tone.

This year, Ali joined the speech and debate team, not expecting much of it. But little did he know he would shine in his position and impress a lot of people. Ali decided to start debate to improve his communication skills and to feel more confident and comfortable when talking to people. He stayed in debate because he saw himself improving successfully and he made a great bond with the rest of the team and his mentors.

The form of debate Ali chose is called Public Forum, which focuses on current events and topics that are important around the world. He chose Public Forum because it holds an amazing arsenal of politics, volatile situations and events that could potentially change the world forever. He also wanted to improve his tabletop debating skills and his confidence when public speaking. Ali became hooked on Public Forum when he entered the Ryan Mills Invitational, his favorite debate of the year.

Not only was Ryan Mills his favorite debate of the year, but there he also faced his most challenging competitors. He faced fellow debaters from Leland High School, which he said were the most fun and challenging opponents he faced against. It was challenging for Ali because his opponents had a really “good way for words, and a picture perfect side of the debate”.

Ali doesn’t want to pursue anything involving speech or debate careerwise. Instead, he wants to enter the medical field, specifically neurology. From a neurologist to a research analyst, he would love anything in that field. If neurology doesn’t pan out, he would like to study meteorology and become a meteorologist.