Debate has become a place for me to interact with the world through a new lens----the passion I have for this activity spills over into the times that I'm not a competition or not even around other debaters. I love the fact that I had a unique understanding of the government shutdown because of this activity; I love that the word "framework" has a special meaning to me other than just "system". This activity changes the way that I think and perceive the world, and it does so for the better---surprisingly, a game in which everyone pretends that extinction is on the horizon has taught me to put world events into perspective. This activity gives me a place to channel all of my thoughts on current events, and at the very least, it puts a spin on these events when they get depressing ("Oh, the government shut down? At least the Shutdown DA's non-unique"---little did I know there would quickly be an "unshutdown" DA on the circuit). Besides the opportunities granted by the argumentation and research sides of debate, the debate community here at LASA is also incredibly special to me. Last year, I was thinking about leaving this activity, but I changed my mind after getting to travel with the team to Berkeley. I realized that I really wanted a place within this new community---I wanted the friendships that I was starting to see blossom, and I wanted the laughs that came with being a part of that community. Now that I'm more firmly within this group, I find myself incredibly grateful that Berkeley changed my mind about quitting. This group makes me laugh, oftentimes over incredibly stupid things, and I now have the joy of witnessing the team tear apart some affirmative that was cut by clueless sophomores. Part of what makes this group so unique is that it can only exist at the will of the people inside of it---the club isn't part of LASA, and it doesn't receive much, if any, funding outside of that which we raise ourselves. In light of this, I would be greatly appreciative if you wouldn't mind donating to help this group travel to national circuit tournaments and continue to provide to others the experience that it's given me.