Immaculate Heart HS debater earns top national honor

Katie Hughes, a member of Immaculate Heart’s class of 2014, became the top female Lincoln-Douglas debater in the country following her third place win at the 2014 National Speech & Debate Tournament.

Hughes competed in 15 rounds of the L-D Debate over four consecutive days of competition at the recent National Championships in Overland Park, Kansas. By reaching the semi-finals and placing third, she became the top female debater in the nation among the 254 L-D debaters competing at the event.

This year’s topic was “Resolved: The United States ought to prioritize the pursuit of national security objectives above the digital privacy of its citizens.” Hughes qualified to attend the national competition after placing first at the West Los Angeles District Qualifying Tournament this past March. This is the second year in a row an Immaculate Heart student has participated in the national tournament.

Hughes, the daughter of Joyce and Terry Hughes of Los Angeles and a member of Our Mother of Good Counsel Church in Los Feliz, will attend Stanford University this fall and plans to major in physics.

“I’m thrilled and very proud of Katie,” said IH coach Naemah Morris, who also received the National Speech & Debate Association’s School of Honor Award for Immaculate Heart.