llo DUDL community, I took part in DUDL in the 2009 and 2010 seasons, then moved on to graduate from Colorado State University with a B.A. in Political Science and minors in Ethnic Studies and Leadership Studies. Yes, Leadership. I was one of three people to be the first to graduate from CSU with a Leadership minor. I am currently attending the University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law as a J.D. Candidate set to graduate in 2017.
It's been 5 years since I've been in a DUDL debate and I miss it like it was yesterday. But luckily I have chosen a career path that requires knowledge of skills that DUDL doles out like candy. Law school is difficult, but you already knew that. What you don't know is that what I learned from debating has made it a little bit less difficult than it needs to be. One of the classes I have to take is Legal Research. The majority of what I am being taught in that class I had already learned from debating. I'm pretty sure I'm going to get an A...Thanks DUDL.
The biggest contribution DUDL made is that it fostered in me a passion for social issues, particularly the issue of homelessness. It was the subject of the resolution the year I graduated, so I spent a lot of time researching homeless issues in the US. I could easily talk about it for the next 5 pages, but I won't do that. Even though I started with hypothetical plans while debating, I will be applying that knowledge soon in my work with the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless.
It's like DUDL employed the Mr. Miyagi way of teaching. I didn't know it at the time, but my rounds of debating were much more than fun. I was being lead to right here and now.
