Five members of Mount Pleasant High School Speech and Debate traveled to Austin to compete in the UIL Congress State Tournament on January 4-5, 2023. Seniors Anthony Orellana and Merlin Cardona, and junior Angelina Hernandez represented MPHS and Region 8 in the 5A division with sophomore Gopi Amin and senior Elijah Rider making the trip as alternate competitors.

On day one at the University Teaching Center on the campus of The University of Texas at Austin, fifty-two 5A competitors representing thirty-two high schools from across the state of Texas were split into three groups known as Chambers. After two preliminary rounds, the top six competitors from each chamber would advance to day 2, known as Super Congress. At the end of day one, Orellana advanced to day 2 as not only the top scorer in his Chamber, but the top scorer among all fifty-two 5A competitors.

On day 2, the eighteen 5A finalists would compete on the floor of the Texas State Capitol. Orellana finished among the top 18 Congressional Debaters in the entire state of Texas for the 2022-2023 season.

“Competing at Congress State has been a blast,” said Orellana. “I got to meet new people and experience the ambiance at the State Capitol, the same place where our representatives write and debate legislation. I am so grateful for the support of my friends, family, community members, and the team.”

The next major events for MPHS Speech and Debate are the Cross-Examination District meet in January and the NSDA National Qualifying tournament in February.

Photo 1: MPHS Congress State qualifiers (L to R): Merlin Cardona, Angelina Hernandez, Anthony Orellana

Photo 2: Anthony Orellana prepares to debate at the Texas State Capitol