University of North Georgia students win Great Latino Debate

After competing against 15 other teams, University of North Georgia students (UNG) Wilver Yescas and Rodrigo Zavaleta won the sixth annual Great Latino Debate in October at UNG's Gainesville Campus.

Yescas and Zavaleta beat two teams from the University of Miami in Florida and one team from the University of La Verne in California for the top honor.

All five preliminary, semifinal and final rounds were spoken in Spanish. Students were judged on language skills, organization of arguments and quality of the content, said UNG senior Rebecca Pool, who helped organize the event as a member of the UNG debate team.

She said the win shows the kind of stance UNG has in the Spanish-speaking debate community.

"I think it is a great opportunity for us to encourage more Spanish-speaking debates in this region of the South," said Pool, a 22-year-old psychology major from Cumming, Georgia.

Pool explained Spanish speakers may not have many mediums to debate in their native language, but the Great Latino Debate provides them the opportunity to strengthen their language skills in a high academic and educational learning environment.

"We want to … allow students an opportunity to engage in a language they may not have been able to in an eloquent manner," she said.

UNG's Latino Student Association (LSA) and the UNG debate team hosted and organized the annual event.