Tobey Finished 4th In State Congressional Debate Tournament
Trevor Tobey does not hesitate even a second when you ask him what he wants to do for a career.
“I hope to serve as president of the United States,” he said matter-of-factly. “It’s a lofty goal, but maybe one day I will be using these speech and debate skills in a presidential debate. Career-wise, I’d like to study and practice law.”
And does he ever have debate skills. The Midlothian High School senior made history recently when he finished fourth in the state in the UIL Congressional Debate. That is the highest finish ever for a student from the school.”
That is the highest finish ever for a student from the school.
“It’s such an honor. I never expected to make it this far, and to know that my dedication and hard work paid off is such a great feeling,” Trevor said of his performance.
No Stranger To Competition
This is his fourth year to take part in the competition, but the first time he advanced past regionals. He qualified for state after placing third at regionals.
At state he competed in two sessions in the preliminary round and placed top six in both to advance to the finals. There, he went through two sessions, even receiving votes for first and second from judges.
In congressional debate participants debate bills with a multitude of topics. Overall, at state he debated topics that included universal basic income, police de-escalation training, making election day a national holiday, drug decriminalization, carbon tax, giving students two years of tuition-free college, combating the rise of Chinese technology, and a bill to promote non-lethal weapons for police.
“The legislation at the state level was totally different from the regional level, outside of the one bill our region voted to send to the state docket,” he said. The region had 14 pieces of legislation between prelims and finals, and the state had 20.”
MISD Proud
Trevor’s mother, Tami, is on the school board. Naturally, she and her husband Tim are proud of Trevor as both a child and a student doing great things for the MISD.
“Tim and I have always felt grateful for the gift and privilege of parenting. And to see Trevor chase fearlessly after his goals and accomplish this big win makes us genuinely proud,” she said. “The opportunity to go and rep the ISD as a clerk gave me a new appreciation for the rigor that goes into these debate competitions. So, for the ISD it sets the bar high and really solidifies what I have always trusted in – that we have some fabulous educators at MHS.
“And who doesn’t appreciate a little UIL hardware? Hopefully, many more will follow under the leadership of Mrs. Kristy Bogy.”
As for his teacher, Bogy had this to say about her pupil, “Trevor is an amazing and talented young man. I am amazed all the time of his hard work and dedication to debate. His desire to be the best and put in the work necessary to be the best at whatever he is doing is definitely something that defines Trevor.
“I have had the honor of being his debate coach for three and a half years and it has been so fun watching him grow stronger as a debater each year. I had every confidence that he could achieve the goal of placing at the state tournament. I have no doubt that Trevor has a lot to offer this world in the future.
No arguing this MHS debate student has big plans
Trevor has been debating all four years of high school. He said he was drawn to congressional debate competition because he felt that it would be a productive skill to learn for his future.
“I believe in the power of advocacy, and I’ve always enjoyed exploring and debating political issues,” he said.
But then, politics aside, he simply likes to debate.
“I enjoy debate because it empowers me to advocate for and discuss the issues I truly care about. Furthermore, it allows me to explore issues I never would have researched,” he said.
Trevor plans to attend the Air Force Academy and hopefully become a fighter pilot before becoming a lawyer – on his way to the White House, of course.
“For Trevor it opens further and wider the doors of opportunity. And the timing is perfect since he is knocking on tons of college doors right now,” Tami said. “Keep your eyes open, as I fully expect you may see his name on a ballot in the future.”
