“Growth is found in the struggle.”
That line kept coming back to me during my time at the Harvard Debate Summer Council Workshop.
Going in, I expected to sharpen my debate skills. What I didn’t expect was how much the week would push me to sit with discomfort the stumbles mid-rebuttal, the rounds where my strongest point got dismantled in seconds, the late nights reworking a case from scratch.
It sounds simple, almost like a poster on a classroom wall. But living it is different. Every uncomfortable moment, every time I froze, got outmaneuvered, or had to rebuild an argument on the fly was doing more for my growth than any smooth round ever could.
What made the struggle even more meaningful was who I shared it with. I got to debate, prep, and swap stories with people from South Korea, China, and all over the globe each bringing a completely different lens to the same arguments. Some of my toughest rounds were against debaters whose style and reasoning I’d never encountered before, and some of my best conversations happened outside the rounds entirely.
Growth is found in the struggle and this week, that struggle was shared with people I never would have met otherwise. The judges’ toughest feedback became the most valuable. The opponents who out-argued me became the ones I learned the most from.
I’m walking away with sharper reasoning, a thicker skin, a genuine appreciation for how much progress happens exactly where it’s least comfortable, and a small global network of friends I can’t wait to stay in touch with. Grateful for the coaches, the fellow debaters, and every hard round that got me here.