Tiia Shea was saddened to see homeless people wandering downtown streets. Wanting to do something, to help, she used money from her part-time restaurant job to buy toothpaste, toothbrushes, lotion, soap and other hygiene products to distribute. She was a bit frightened of approaching the strangers when she started her giveaway program. But she had no unpleasant encounters. “They were all grateful and nice,” she said.

It was thoughts of that experience that helped her deal with the aftermath of the international debate competition last year.

Shea and three students from other area schools had been chosen to compete as a team in the National Speech and Debate Association’s World Schools Debate championship.

They endured endless hours of research, case writing, analysis, and practice. “We were exhausted but wanted to win, and had high hopes,” she said.

Shea has always had intense motivation that inspires others, her forensics coach Jeremy Beckman said. “She helps others become the best version of themselves”

Because of her leadership skills she was chosen the first ever sophomore to be associate student coach at Discovery Canyon High School, a post she has held three years, he noted. She was also named an Academic All American for Speech and Debate her junior year, based on performance, community service and leadership.

She used her skills to teach debate camp online to raise donations for Colin Kaepernick’s Know Your Rights Camp that helps underprivileged children.

The NSDA world competition was on Zoom because of the pandemic. In many ways it was even more intense because online competition tends to water down intricate facial expressions and nuanced voices.

Her team was one of only four to go undefeated in preliminary rounds, and eventually became one of 16 teams in the finals. The final topic was daunting: “Should former colonial powers remove all restrictions on immigration for citizens from their former colonies?” The topic was one of a dozen that they had studied, tackling both sides of those arguments.

They came in 9th place out of 160 teams that had competed in the tournament. Shea was named one of top 50 individual speakers out of 700 competitors.

Coach Beckman noted that Shea had turned the team into a “well-oiled machine that went against schools with means well beyond ours to be ninth in the world.”

But Shea was at first shattered. “I’d never felt so defeated. There were so many arguments I could have stated better.”

But after self-criticism, came reflection. It brought to mind her homeless service project. She took inspiration remembering a woman she had met who was unemployed, lived in her car, but was optimistically job hunting. “She had hope that she would eventually overcome obstacles.”

Shea said, “The defeat was not the end of what we could do. We keep going. It’s only one obstacle of many I expect to face in life.”

She has seen how such perseverance pays off. They qualified for the national tournament again this year. She was chosen First Team All State by the National coaches to represent Southern Colorado on the World Schools Debate Team.

She may become a math teacher someday. It’s a subject, she said, where one works through obstacles one step at a time, just like in life.

Discovery Canyon Campus High School

College Plans: Colorado College

Parent(s): Rhonda and Steve Shea

Other: Student Coach of DCC Speech and Debate Team; National Honor Society; Rocky Mountain Youth Leadership Conference

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