Debate winner hopes to take her talents into medical field

bhillman@fentonpress.com • 810.766.6378

LAKE FENTON - A Brighton Township seventh-grader won the Tri-County Debate League War of Words individual competition and a $3,000 scholarship.

Leena Shah, 12, who attends Hartland's Ore Creek Middle School, beat out 28 debaters from seven schools in the Tri-County Debate League Individual War of Words on March 17.

"I was really excited," Leena said.

"She was just superb all day long," said Dave Kuzner, who coaches the Hartland team.

Competition at Lake Fenton High School included fifth- through eighth-grade students from seven schools: St. John Catholic School, Lake Fenton, Fenton, Hartland, Linden, Holly and Whittier Classical Academy in Flint.

Second place and winner of a $2,000 scholarship was Kacey Phegley of Lake Fenton Middle School; third place and $1,000, Alex Brown, Lake Fenton Middle School; fourth place and $1,000, Briona Jawhari, Lake Fenton Middle School; fifth place and $500, Alex Saeedy, Linden Middle School; sixth place and $500, Lauren Kurncz, Schmidt Middle School in Fenton; seventh place and $500, Corinne Brown, Lake Fenton Middle School; eighth place and $500, Caitie Helm, Fenton Schmidt Middle School.

League Director Bob Krug of Fenton Township said six judges judged the event: Genesee Circuit Judge Archie Hayman, Family Court Judge Duncan Beagle, Fenton District Judge Mark McCabe, Circuit Judge Michael Theile, Family Court Judge David Newblatt and Probate Judge Jennifer Barkey.

"We figured we couldn't get much more impartial than regular, elected judges," Krug said.

"It was really impressive to the kids because the judges would give critiques of what they thought was good to each of the young debaters," he said.

When Leena joined the league two years ago, she didn't expect how challenging and beneficial it would turn out to be.

"I thought it was more of a kid thing, you could get on the podium, laugh and stuff," she said.

Not so. Coaches expected a lot and in turn, debaters gained a lot.

"It can serve you in whatever the future may hold for you," Leena said. "You have to have confidence in yourself, persuasion skills, you learn to deal with stress - learn not to procrastinate."

Leena plans a career in the field of medicine.

"I'm actually have a bunch of universities in mind," she said. "Either John Hopkins or Harvard or maybe Stanford or University of Michigan."

Her parents are Mac and Chuck Shah.

"I'm very proud of her and I think it's a fantastic program," Mac Shah said. "I'm sure it's preparing her for life."

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