Like many young people in this day and age, Cydney Parks has high hopes and goals for her future, and debate is just a starting point. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, Cydney is your typical high school student. She lives with her mom, stepdad, and her younger sister, in a loud, fun environment.

Since she was in 8th grade, Cydney knew she wanted to join debate, because she has always wanted to be a lawyer. Once she entered high school, she joined debate to improve her skills and learn.

In debate, one thing often debated is politics, which is typically a hard topic for people to stay neutral on. Cydney describes herself as a political person, but identifies as neither a Republican or a Democrat. In regards to the upcoming election, she hopes that the democrats win the house.

David Hogg is a teenager heavily involved in politics, and is also a huge role model for Cydney. He’s a former debate student from Parkland, Florida, and he used his skills to become actively involved in politics and gun reform, as well as help start the MFOL movement. He is an inspiration for Cyd.

Some of her favorite parts of being in debate come from going to tournaments and the friendly competition. When tournaments come around, they head out to another high school in Texas, find out who they’re debating against, and begin to prep for their debate round. Despite the casual appearance of students arguing in classrooms, it is much more serious then it looks.

In debate, especially when you’re a girl, there are some challenges you might face. In the event Cydney is in, Public Forum, it’s customary for girls to not do the debating, but Cyd always does the debating in her group, which makes some people look down on her.

While there may be some challenges in debate, for anyone wanting to join, Cydney says, “Be ready to do some work and it’s not as hard as it looks. If you’ve ever wanted to try debate…it’s something you should try before you graduate high school…it’s really eye opening.”