Jun 08, 2023 At 09:52 AM EDT
Marianny Torres-Collado has not only a talent but a passion for talking.
She said this comes from growing up around her "outgoing" family from the Dominican Republic, which forced her to become a self-described "people person."
"I like talking to people, I'll talk to strangers. I was raised very outgoing," the Denver high schooler told Newsweek recently. "It's just how things are in the Dominican Republic—everyone is outgoing and they want to talk to you. [My family] raised me to just be super-polite and close together as a community."
It's no surprise then that Torres-Collado found herself in a slew of talking-based electives. She started with student congress in middle school, which she describes as "arguing over fake bills."
"You give a speech about the affirmative or negative of this bill," she said. "It's like a mini-debate but it's less structured, so you're just discussing a bill."
She loved working with other students who shared her passion for talking and "structured arguing." Her favorite part was the one-on-one face-offs and the ability to "clap back."
Her teacher was the one who suggested Torres-Collado join the debate team.
Before formally joining the team, she was asked by the Denver Urban Debate League (DUDL) to participate in the National Association for Urban Debate Leagues' (NAUDL) I RESOLVE initiative, a public debate series that showcases the various types of topics debate students cover.
Torres-Collado said she never felt like she found something she was good at until debate. But now, she said, she has "found [her] people" as well as a place to finally be herself.
While Torres-Collado—who will be a junior in the next academic year—is part of a community, she didn't always have that same support system when she moved to Denver three years ago.
She was born in New York and raised in a vibrant and familiar Caribbean-Latino community in Miami. Torres-Collado said she always felt like she belonged in those places because of the "melting pot of people" from around the world.
But she said that, in Denver, she felt out of place. As the only Dominican student in her school, she was teased about how she talked, which led to insecurity.
"I didn't feel like I belonged, and it hurt," she said. "In school, I never really felt important enough, and I didn't feel as comfortable [in a new town] as I could have been until I found debate."
Debate allowed to her build a rapport with peers, as she was among others who shared her appetite for conversation, like speech students, poets and drama kids. She found a place of likeminded people who didn't make fun of her but actually encouraged her for her unique talents.
"Everyone is different in their own way, and I think debate really made me realize [that]," she said. "Not everyone can do speech or debate, and it made me feel good because there's other people out there like [me], so maybe I do belong."
Torres-Collado said the debate community highlights individuality and offers a sense of kinship amid competition. Even when she loses a debate round, she wants to compliment her opponent and talk about their arguments.
This is very different from the "competitiveness and animosity" Torres-Collado experienced when she lost a game in volleyball, basketball or softball.
"It's not like that in debate," she said. "You'll learn from people that you go against. We are all just there to better ourselves to become the best debaters we can."
Debate has not only pushed Torres-Collado to become a better competitor, but it also gave her the drive to pursue a career in dentistry.
"I just want to improve people's smiles," she said. "I think that a smile is really important. If you know me, you know I'm always smiling at someone. I smile at strangers."
But Torres-Collado, who currently wears braces, was teased as a kid for that same smile because she once had gaps in her teeth.
Whether it's helping with braces or giving a simple cleaning, Torres-Collado wants to alleviate others' insecurity and make them feel confident. And that starts with easing people's fear of going to the dentist.
"I want to be a dentist that people want to go to," she said. "I want to be a dentist that will make someone comfortable in the seat and be able to explain every little step so that they understand that maybe going to dentists isn't so bad and is important to your health."
Understanding the mass impact of a societal problem and advocating for a plan that will best help those affected is the key to debate.
Health care feels like a family business of sorts for Torres-Collado, as two of her cousins are doctors with their own practices in the Dominican Republic. Their work inspired her to dream of opening a clinic of her own and working with them to expand affordable and friendly dental care.
She has seen firsthand how other family members in the Dominican Republic have dealt with dental issues. Her mother and grandmother struggled with dental health, leading Torres-Collado to wonder how many other people in the country also needed help.
"Once you bring in how that thing we're arguing over is gonna affect people or hurt people, it kind of brings another sense where we start arguing about advocacy," she said. "Every single debate that I'm in, we're talking about an issue going on in the world right now. Debate is just advocacy, it's just spreading the word."
Torres-Collado intends to stick with debate for the remainder of her high school career, attending as many tournaments as she can in the Denver league.
Jessica Clark, the executive director of DUDL, said Torres-Collado has the ability to relate to adults, peers and audience members in a "deeply authentic way."
"She recently spoke to a group of DUDL supporters about the transformative power of debate, and she was much more persuasive than any impressive data or statistics we could have presented," Clark said. "She had the whole room laughing."
Torres-Collado wants to continue to be a part of the debate community even after she graduates, perhaps as a middle or high school tournament judge or DUDL employee.
"I want to be with people who have a passion for debate because not only will I learn new things, but I'll also be helping kids, especially in Urban Debate leagues," she said.
Torres-Collado said her mentorship aspirations have been inspired by the dedication of her debate coaches and leaders in DUDL. She said she wants to be that point of reference someday and impart her debate knowledge onto young debaters who may struggle with the activity.
"I've always liked helping people, and a lot of that comes from watching teachers," she said. "I have so much admiration for teachers and people older than me who have helped me."
And the feeling from her mentors is mutual.
"I truly admire her dedication to her own growth, her high school, and to the DUDL," Clark said of Torres-Collado. "She's a leader in our community and does everything from being on the flag football team to the debate team with integrity and positive energy."
Whatever awaits Torres-Collado, it's a safe bet that she'll be ready with a friendly smile and her gift for gab.
