One of my coaches, Mr. Whitcomb, loves to tell a short story about me to new team recruits. He "jokes" that when Katie Collins first joined the softball team in 6th grade, he never thought she'd be able to learn how to swing. She was clumsy, awkward, and weak, and if she hadn't picked up bunting so quickly, she probably would've rode the bench 'til she graduated. I love it when Mr. Whitcomb tells that story, because not only does it make the girls laugh, but it also gives them a glint of hope. Because the story doesn't end with Katie Collins being doomed to bunting for the rest of her high school career. It ends with her growing her strength, practicing for hours every day, and growing into a strong athlete and team captain. When young girls hear the story of how a shy and unexperienced girl was able to transform into a passionate and skilled softball player, they begin to believe that they too can follow her path. I don't know what Judy's stats were, what base she played, or if she ever hit a home run. But what I do know is that someone who both served her community and her teams must've been an incredible role model to all who knew her. Growing up, many of my role models were girls much like Judy; our catcher, Morgan, was a fearless leader on the field and spent every moment off of it preparing for the U.S. Coast Guard. Our pitcher, Taylor Dahlke, inspired us during tough games and spent countless hours volunteering in her free time. Girls like these have helped me to become the woman I am today. From the encouragement, confidence and strength I gained from softball and the role models within my team, I made a commitment to become the role model my younger peers needed. I joined the Florida High School Athletic Association's Student Athlete Advisory Council, making me the youngest student on the board. Here, I helped the FHSAA determine policies that would affect athletes throughout the state. I started volunteering for the National Park Service, and won the President's Silver Volunteer Award. I began participating in debate tournaments for Incubate Debate, a no-cost debate league meant to provide opportunities to underserved students. Incubate Debate changed my life, and I couldn't have pursued that path without the support of my sports teams. I started off as a competitor, and then a Student Ambassador, and eventually, I became a Washington, D.C. fellow at the age of 16. I volunteered full-time for Incubate for almost two years, and spent over 1500 community service hours mentoring students, planning tournaments, and writing debate curriculum for teachers to use in their classrooms. When I discovered debate as my passion, my team supported me every step of the way. They supported me when I had to miss practices to travel to Washington, D.C. for work, they supported me when I was stressed from my heavy workload, and they never made me feel guilty about stepping away to pursue my dreams. As I attend the University of Florida in the fall, I plan to bring a ball and glove with me. I don't plan to play softball when I attend. However, I want that glove to serve as a reminder of the values I learned on my teams that I want to use in college; courage, leadership, perseverance, and teamwork. Because it takes only two to throw, but it takes a team to truly grow.

The first time I'd ever been handed a softball glove was when I was scraping filthy mud out of my house. It was during the aftermath of hurricane Irma in September of 2017, and Everglades City (my lifelong hometown) had been hit incredibly hard. My house was flooded with two feet of water and completely covered in this thick, silty mud, and everything that we hadn't managed to throw on top of our bunk beds was ruined. As you might imagine, the cleaning process was long and hard, but one thing I got to look forward to was the support trucks and community members that came south to help us recover. One of these folks was my soon-to-be softball coach, Mrs. Whitcomb, who gifted me my first softball glove, which I still use to this day. Every athlete has a testimony as to how sports have helped them, but for me, sports meant a taste of normalcy. When our home was being demolished and I was sorting through the last remnants of muddy childhood memories which I inevitably had to throw away, there was always something there for me on the volleyball court and softball field. The girls there taught me discipline, perseverance and strength, which I used to help me carry on after Irma and in every other facet of my life. They took my mind off of what was, and helped me focus on what could be. Because of the support I received after Irma, I made it my mission to provide for my community in the ways it provided for me. I volunteered in every club and organization around town that I could get into; I volunteered for my local Make-A-Wish chapter, I volunteered over 150 hours for the Everglades National Park, and was active in Student Government. However, I always knew that I could be doing more, but wasn't sure how. In the summer of 9th grade, I got the big break I was looking for. I was invited to participate in a no-cost 10-day summer camp at the University of Florida, hosted by a small organization called Incubate Debate. Going to this camp changed my life; I immediately fell head-over-heels in love with debate, and I knew this was something I had to get involved in. Over the next year, I participated in every tournament and workshop Incubate Debate offered, and I was a finalist in nearly every tournament I competed in. Eventually, my talent was recognized, and Incubate asked me to be a Student Ambassador. As an Ambassador, I traveled around Florida as a guest speaker and taught underserved students the art of public speaking. This wasn't the end of my journey, however. Shortly after serving as a Student Ambassador, I was asked to be a Washington, D.C. Fellow for Incubate Debate, where I'd live and work in the nation's capitol coordinating logistics for each of Incubate's camps, tournaments and workshops. Here, I planned our venues, recruited judges, trained students virtually and in-person, interviewed incredible national leaders and wrote debate curriculum for both students and teachers. This experience has inspired me to study political science at the University of Florida. As you can see, I've had a wild journey from having my home destroyed in 2017 to working in D.C. at 16 years old. As I look back, I recognize that the skills I gained from sports- perseverance, grit and determination- helped me to be the woman I am today. Today, I strive to be an example to another young girl in a tough situation, to show her that she can do anything.

If you asked anyone in my life (especially my parents) what characterizes Katie Collins, they would probably answer argumentation. But to me, political argumentation is more than a conversation; it is something I've dedicated years of my life to mastering and teaching. My journey started in the summer of 9th grade, where I left home for ten days to attend a summer debate camp hosted by Incubate Debate. I'd never been exposed to debate before, but I immediately fell in love with it. In those ten days, I was immersed in studying current events ranging from tax exemptions on electric vehicles, to whether Russia should be allowed back into the G7. I continued competing in Incubate's tournaments for a year after this camp, but this didn't satisfy my thirst for debate. My passion was fortunately recognized by the founder, who invited me to become a student ambassador for the program. As a student ambassador, I traveled across Florida doing speaking engagements in classrooms, where I taught students the art of debate. I helped prepare thousands of students of all levels for our tournaments, and was able to know many of them quite personally. Shortly after being involved as a student ambassador, I was offered the opportunity to live and work in Washington, D.C., where I would continue planning logistics for all of Incubate's camps, workshops and tournaments. I convinced my parents to let me go, and I had an unforgettable experience. When I wasn't coordinating venues, curriculum, research packets, food, housing, transportation, and judging for our events, I was chasing down politicians and interviewing national leaders. My favorite memory of Washington, D.C. was visiting the Supreme Court and actually walking on the floors of the courtroom where so many important decisions had been made. I also had the opportunity to speak with many incredible politicians, including Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttiegieg, and I even personally interviewed the former COO of Customs and Border Protection, Mark Morgan. The politicians I agreed with gave me important insight, and those I disagreed with showed me that we're all more similar than the media portrays. From the experiences I've had working with politicians and students to help provide no-cost debate opportunities, I'm even more passionate about using politics to help influence education reform. I've also solidified my own beliefs on politics, and I aim to use my knowledge and experience to one day create policies that will secure our nation and help us return to traditional moral values that our country has strived on for hundreds of years. Ryan's story brought me to tears because I feel like I'm reading my own biography. I've worked with so many students that love debate, that love history, and that love to learn about how the past applies to the present. While I may not have known Ryan, I've known thousands of students like him, and because I know his passions I can infer his character. As I study Political Science this fall at the University of Florida, I will keep Ryan's legacy in mind; for every assignment I submit and every textbook I read, I will remember that Ryan would have used that same knowledge to help make the world a better place. And, on the days when it feels difficult or intimidating to speak out about what I believe in, I'll remember Ryan's passion for debate, and I will continue to use my voice to improve this incredible country.