Up for Debate

For seven years and counting, Brooklyn King ’27 has encountered new perspectives and defended their own on debate stages across the country.

The word “debate” can conjure negative connotations. Some people imagine confrontation, people shouting over each other, dogmatically defending their points on a public platform. Not King. They see debate as an opportunity to learn. What brings King joy, where they get lost in themselves, is in the preparation, the act of becoming an expert in a topic they haven’t even experienced yet.  

“My favorite thing about debating is research,” King says. “I love learning as much as possible about an area of literature, finding a niche, and delving in even further to push the boundaries of a topic.”

Through Trinity University’s Baker Duncan Debate Scholarship, King has been able to continue fueling their love of learning while also focusing on their majors in political science and economics. The $10,000 scholarship, awarded to first-year students with a talent for debating and a desire to commit to Trinity’s debate program, is competitive, merit-based, and renewable.

“This scholarship has completely shaped my experience at Trinity,” King says. “Without it, I likely wouldn’t have been able to attend university at all, and certainly not in a way that would have allowed me to fully invest myself in my academic and extracurricular endeavors without significant financial strain.”

King says the application process for the Baker Duncan Debate Scholarship was very straightforward. They filled out a simple online form, submitted a record of their competitive history, and a letter of recommendation.

What stood out most to King was how welcoming Trinity’s debate coaches and team members were at social events and practices.

“Those early interactions gave me a real sense of how much the program values community, curiosity, and a love for debate,” King says. “It made me even more excited about joining Trinity and growing within such a supportive environment.”

Trinity’s debate team competes in national tournaments, creates research projects, and has access to dedicated, supportive faculty members as coaches. As president of the 2025-2026 debate team, King is part of a competitive group of students from across the country with diverse backgrounds and mixed levels of debate experience.

More than that, King says the debate team is “a supportive community full of people who care about argument, research, and advocacy as much as I do.” The team is a safe space for King to “hone my skills in thinking critically, mentoring others, and building community.”

Since they’ve been at Trinity, King has competed on stages at Harvard, Wake Forest, and Gonzaga, competed twice in the annual National Debate Tournament, and helped lead on-campus debates on issues ranging from reproductive rights to climate change through The Conversation. 

“Being able to pursue this activity in its most advanced and competitive forum and with the most talented debaters in the country is truly an incredible honor,” King says. “My debate scholarship didn’t just make college accessible for me; it made it transformative.”

King advises prospective students applying for the Baker Duncan Debate Scholarship to reflect on and be genuine about what debate means to them beyond competition. They say the coaching staff is looking for people who are passionate about learning and want to know why you have committed yourself to debate and how you will stay motivated throughout your college career.

“Share your goals, talk about the lessons you’ve learned, and what makes debate special to you,” King says. “Most importantly, don’t feel like you have to fit a mold. Debate thrives on diverse voices, and yours is exactly what makes you stand out.”

Want to pursue debate at Trinity?

Learn more about how to apply for Trinity’s Baker Duncan Debate Scholarship by February 7.