All high schoolers have to decide what they will do after walking down the aisle at graduation, for many this is a period of great uncertainty because for the first time in their life they have to decide for themselves.

Elrik Dunn is a sophomore trying to decide what he wants out of his life; he is active in his church, competes in forensics, but the one activity he enjoys more than any other is debate. Elrik is an award-winning debater taking at least top 3 in 11 of the past 12 tournaments who is channeling that passion toward the future.

“Debate is my calling; whatever I do, wherever — I do it. I want to debate.”

Following this passion leads him to various potential careers, yet a politician is the career path most appealing to him.

The part of debate that Elrik is enamored with is the constant reversal. In debate, you don’t get to choose which side of the issue you are on.  Instead, it changes from match to match, and you must show up ready to debate both sides and have the sources for it.  Debaters flip flop mentalities like a pancake.

This prompts a constant cycle of making a strong argument,

finding a refutation for that argument,

finding a refutation of the refutation of the argument,

in a cycle that repeats itself over and over.

This cycle is an exercise in the mental acrobatics otherwise known as debate. For many, this is a dizzying exercise in futility, but for Elrik it’s exhilarating.

He doesn’t know what he wants out of life.  He doesn’t know where it will take him —  all he knows is that debate will be there with him every step of the way.