Words of a persuasive air fill the room, drawing the ears and eyes of the audience, as well as of her fellow debaters. The speaker takes the stage. Congressional and World Schools debater, senior Julia Low, begins her case.

Originally joining debate in her freshman year for her love of learning and politics, Low became instantly fond of the class and kept with it. Debate remains, to this day, one of her major school and extracurricular activities, something she spends much of her time practicing for, constantly working on improving. 

“I’ve given, in practice speeches, probably over 200,” Low said. “I would record myself and I would watch them again and again to see what I’m doing wrong and what I can improve.” 

Debate coach John Mast notes how much Low has grown as a debater since she started, fine tuning her debate mechanics and taking time to do research to where he feels she is very knowledgeable in topics seen in Congress and World Schools such as: international diplomacy, weather sanctions as effective tools, and whether the US congress should fund military operations. 

“Julia is now so well-versed on these things that she could have a discussion with experts and hold her own,” Mast said. 

In addition to Mast, her hard work and devotion to debate doesn’t go unnoticed by senior Larkin Bock, who has been one of Low’s teammates for the past four years. Bock notes how her confidence fills the room whenever she debates. 

“Julia just knows exactly what to say, and she’s very convincing,” Bock said. “She just has that confidence and that aura; and she just takes over the whole room as soon as she stands up.”

Her confidence is showcased during tournaments, even though she had initially been nervous about whether or not to go to her first tournament. Competitions have stayed an important part of Low’s time in debate. She has dedicated numerous hours and weekends to preparing for and attending tournaments and competitions, simply because she wants to. 

“I take time out of my day. I take away Fridays and Saturdays,” Low said. “I go spend them at a random high school in the middle of nowhere because I love doing what I do.” 

Mast comments on the very beginning of joining debate as well, explaining what it’s like going through debate and the transition between the level of difficulty as a debater practices more and more, picking up skills they didn’t originally have. And he feels that it might become something a student would love after they try it, like the experience Low had. 

“Debate is a lot like learning to ride a bike, it’s hard when you first start out because you have to learn how to do the fundamentals and develop your speaking skills,” Mast said. “But as you practice and learn how to persuade judges and develop round-winning argumentation, it becomes easier and debate becomes incredibly fun, very quickly.” 

Low notes that there are many aspects she enjoys about debate, including the friends she’s been able to make, as well as being able to support topics she finds important. 

“Debate gives me a chance to advocate for the topics that really matter to me,” Low said. “So whether it be US Politics, US Diplomacy, international relations, being able to advocate for those causes, especially to people who are in the debate sphere is really, really cool.” 

Using the skills she’s picked up from the start of her high school career, all the way up to her senior year, to defend those topics, Low has gone to tournaments and competitions all over the country, including nationals and state in all three of her earlier high school years, aiming to attend her senior year as well. 

“I’m hoping to repeat for the fourth time,” Low said. “And be the first four time national qualifier from our district.” 

On top of her skills as a debater, Low, as one of the many captains of speech and debate, coaches students new to congressional debate, helping them adjust and grow as debaters. According to Bock, all of the students Low is mentoring are doing very well. 

“Julia is such a great coach, and she really wants what’s best for these kids,” Bock said. 

Bock also notes Low’s encouraging and positive attitude towards debating and the effort that goes into it. 

“She’s very serious when it comes to things she cares about, like debate,” Bock said. “But if something doesn’t go the right way, or we don’t win a round that we should have won, she doesn’t get mad about it; she lets it slide off her shoulders.” 

According to Mast, her positive attitude towards debate has brought many impacts to Bowie’s debate community, in ways such as working with other members of debate about arguments and responses, as well as advocating for others to join. 

“She has created a lot of new debaters because she is always encouraging them,” Mast said. 

Low feels that debate can be for anyone and everyone, and the amount of time spent in debate can vary from person to person, that it can be one the most major extracurricular activities a student could have or it could be part of a balance with sports or clubs.

“Debate is 100% an activity. You give up one Saturday for a couple of hours and you try it and if you hate it, you don’t have to do it again,” Low said. “I think debate is what you make; you can sink hundreds upon thousands of hours like I have. Or you can just do it for fun.” 

For Low, it was an endeavor she had started recreationally, but ended up continuing on and striving to get better and expand her skills as a debater. 

“I set out wanting to have fun,” Low said. “But I ended up having a drive to be really good at what I do.”