By Alanna LaDeaux
Edmond Santa Fe High School
When most people think of speech and debate, they think of confrontational, tough and argumentative forms of discussion. However, debate is also a way for students to express themselves in a friendly, competitive manner. Bixby senior Laurein Drumm is the No. 14-ranked debater in the state of Oklahoma, according to the National Speech & Debate Association.
Laurein, originally from Verdigris Middle School moved to Bixby High School to pursue greater opportunities and challenge herself academically. At Bixby, Laurein got to further her talents in speech and debate. This eventually allowed her to develop the traits needed to compete at the Oklahoma State Speech & Debate Tournament in 2021.
“When I went to state this year for debate, I was really proud of myself because I had a really hard time because the week of state, my grandma had a stroke and went to the hospital,” said Laurein, who eventually aspires to go to law school after completing her undergraduate studies.
For Laurein, speech, debate and her family are all intertwined. At her previous school, Laurein never felt challenged in speech and debate. Therefore, when she moved to go to Bixby High School, she felt that she was placed into a more rigorous academic setting that allowed her to fulfill her passion.
Laurein’s grandmother, Mimi, has been Laurein’s biggest supporter. Despite her grandma’s health complications Laurein wanted to perform well at state for her.
“I knew that she would ask me later when she was feeling better, so I really wanted to push myself so that I was able to tell her I had been successful, as much as I could be at the tournament, and just tell her how I did and, like, how I placed so that she could be proud of me,” Laurein said.
When Laurein placed 14th she couldn’t believe it because she didn’t think she would even make it to state. Although there were obstacles, she persevered and achieved a greater success than she ever imagined.
Now that Mimi has recovered, Laurein looks back at all she accomplished at state and said she is thrilled with how everything went.
“I feel good because it’s ranked by, like, points that I’ve gotten over the past four years,” Laurein said. “So it means that I’ve been really involved and that I’ve gone to a lot of tournaments and did well enough to get ranked by NSDA.”
