The second edition of the Pre-University Pan-American Debate League organized by the European University of the Atlantic has a winner. The team Los Rockstars from the IPAC School representing Ecuador, defeated the Deutsche Schule 1 team from the German School of Guatemala in the grand final.
It should be recalled that 52 teams from eight Latin American countries (Peru, Guatemala, Ecuador, El Salvador, Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Mexico, and Bolivia) participated in this second edition.
“The use of animals in experimentation is fundamental for the advance of biomedical research” was the topic of debate, in which the Guatemalan team positioned itself in favor, with the members of Ecuador against, through a drawing of lots.
The jury that evaluated the performance of both teams was comprised by the Director of International Admissions, Monica Gracia, the Director of External Relations and CSR at Grupo PITMA, Maria Eugenia Cuenca Romero, and Antonio Argelich, an executive of Banco Sabadell, who highlighted the excellent teamwork, the search for information, and the oratory skills of all team members.
Thus, team Los Rockstars, formed by Daniel Antonio Moreira Castañeda, Daniel Tellez Jimenez, and María Isabel Valdivieso Zambrano, obtained a total of 185.64 points compared to 178.08 for the Guatemalan team. In addition, Daniel Tellez of IPAC College of Ecuador was awarded the best speaker after several nominations.
Inna Alexxeva, UNEATLANTICO professor and Debate League organizer, said that “it has been a debate with a lot of respect and, in equal doses, a lot of passion for defending what you believe in. The clarity, order, and agility in the answers is also remarkable.”
Lastly, it has been a real pleasure for the European University of the Atlantic to have the participation of so many teams from different Latin American countries.