Forensics team shines at national championship with historic win
The Cerritos College forensics (speech and debate) team achieved historic success
at the Phi Rho Pi national championship tournament held in Norfolk, VA, earlier this
month. The team earned gold in debate sweepstakes and silver overall, showcasing their
excellence across multiple events.
Team president Alejandro Hernandez led the way, winning a gold award in Lincoln-Douglas style debate. In this event, students conduct extensive research on a policy topic debated throughout the academic year. This year’s topic focused on imposing limits on artificial intelligence. Alejandro won the gold round by advocating for a ban on using AI to automate prior authorization denials in Medicare Advantage insurance plans. He is the college’s first individual national champion in speech or debate since 2022.
Alejandro also received the prestigious Fish-Nelson fellowship award, voted on by
peers to recognize outstanding contributions to the debate community.
Two other students also qualified for nationals. Team vice president Gerardo Silva competed in extemporaneous speaking, parliamentary debate, and international public debate. Damian Estrada earned a bronze award in international public debate and competed in extemporaneous speaking, impromptu speaking, and after-dinner speaking.
Phi Rho Pi is a national honor society for community college speech and debate programs founded in 1927. Each year, it hosts the premier national competition for two-year colleges. This year's tournament saw hundreds of students from 51 community colleges across the country.
The Cerritos College forensics team, led by Assistant Professor Dr. Nick Matthews and Instructor L. Adriana La Fuente, is recruiting new members for the 2025-26 academic year. They are exploring travel opportunities, including the 2026 International Forensics Association tournament in Athens, Greece, and the 2026 Phi Rho Pi tournament in suburban Washington, D.C. Students interested in competing with the team are encouraged to contact Dr. Nick Matthews. Follow the team on Instagram @cerritos.speechanddebate.
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