Senior Cinthia Romo walks into the debate classroom at 6 p.m. with a bag of McDonalds. Romo comes to debate work night each Wednesday to help novices and practice her own speeches. She’s the StuCo president, the debate social chair, a French student and a performer at open mic poetry slams. 

AS: What is debate like?

CR: It’s definitely very intense. I like to call it a mental sport. People are like it’s not a sport. And I’m like ‘It’s a mental sport.’ There’s a lot of work you have to put into it, a lot of practice. Even now that I’m a senior and I’ve done it for three years, I actually skipped last year, there’s still a lot of things that I get to learn. It’s definitely something that takes dedication, just like any other sport would. It’s really fun and very competitive, so if you’re a very competitive person this is for you. It has helped me learn how to research a lot more efficiently, how to really process things in a quick time period. And just decipher words.

AS: Has debate taught you skills you will use in your career?

CR: For sure. I want to be a lawyer. An immigration lawyer to be exact. And I know that that requires a lot of discipline, and researching and knowing how to interact with people as well as knowing how to defend your position. It’s also kinda about keeping up with the news. So yeah, it definitely keeps you aware of what’s going on in the world, which is nice.

AS: You took a break from debate in your third year. Was it hard coming back?

CR: I don’t think so. I think what definitely helped was that I went to debate camp. And I think the first practice round was definitely kinda weird because I hadn’t done it in so long. But it was pretty easy to get back into the groove of things because Kenny [Chan] is my partner and also like my best friend so we work very well together.

AS: Are there any debate rivalries with other schools?

CR: Shawnee Mission East. I personally really like East people. I think they’re very nice. I think the rivalry is really just against their school, but debaters are so intense that when it comes down to debating them you find them to be horrible people. But when you talk to them outside of the round, they’re actually really nice. Part of it is just that they’re so good.

AS: Why did you get involved with Student Council?

CR: I’ve been involved with STuCo since I was in elementary school. I think I started in fourth grade and I’ve always just found it to be really cool and I really like helping the community. And I’m a really outgoing, outspoken person. In middle school I was student body president and I just decided that that was something I wanted to continue doing in high school.

AS: Does your involvement with STuCo every interfere with your schoolwork?

CR: A lot, but I try to keep that limited. STuCo is schoolwork in a sense. We have a STuCo hour and that’s where we get basically everything done. A lot of people think being in STuCo is really easy and that we don’t do anything but the truth is if you come and see everything we do, it’s actually a crazy amount. The five of us on the exec board, we’re really stressed out. It’s going to be a really busy month. And I think a lot of people under appreciate what we do. We have to approve every purchase that is made by any club or sport and we basically plan the parade. If it weren’t for STuCo we wouldn’t have had a homecoming parade ever, because last year was our very first one. Without us, you wouldn’t have dances and a canned food drive. There’s a lot we do, and it kind of annoys me when people think we don’t do anything. But, regardless, I really like being a part of it because it lets me give back.

AS: Are there any rewards from being in StuCo?

CR: Definitely leadership skills. That’s been really helpful. I think that leadership is not just about being the head person in charge. It’s a lot more than that, it’s a lot more intricate. It teaches you how to really listen to other people and how to take abstract ideas and thoughts and turn them into something concrete. That’s what leadership is about. The first person to start something isn’t really who matters, it’s the people that follow.

AS: You said you wanted to be an immigration lawyer. What drew you to this field?

CR: I think debate and I was born in Mexico, so I really understand the difficulties. My family had to wait ten years to get any sort of paperwork to come here. It only took fives years for me, only because I was like five years old at the time. It’s super difficult and the citizenship test is crazy. They ask you a bunch of difficult U.S. history questions.

AS: Where do you see yourself on your career path 10 years from now?

CR: Hopefully, starting to work at a law firm.

AS: You know Spanish, English and French. When does it come in handy?

CR: At my job, my bosses use me a lot to translate to the parents because I work at a daycare. It’s a daycare for a lot of low income, Spanish speaking families that come in and can’t speak English, so they need me to translate things. Also, when I’m out, I hear people ask questions and I just try to answer. It’s pretty cool knowing French, because they’re actually a lot of French speaking people around here, and I met a Belgian exchange student and I was able to speak in his native language.

AS: What are some disadvantages of knowing so many languages?

CR: The biggest one is not being able to find the right word. In a language, I may know how to say something but it might not directly translate to another word. Or sometimes I’ll freeze because I don’t remember the word for something. There’s so much going on in my head. But other than that, it’s pretty handy.

AS: Are there changes to South over the years that you haven’t liked?

CR: There’s thing out front. We used to have a full overhang that went all the way to the front of the school. We don’t have that anymore. We just have that weird, random piece that’s right there. We spent like a million dollars to pay for this thing that doesn’t even protect you from the rain. I’m pretty peeved about that. Advisory is also one of my pet peeves. For freshmen it’s a good idea because they are just getting in the groove of things but for upperclassmen because we already know everything. South’s pretty good apart from that.

AS: What activities do you do outside of school?

CR: I do open mic poetry slams [at the Art Factory in Prairie Fire] That’s really cool. Other than that, I don’t really have very much that I do outside of school. I’m pretty busy, but I enjoy spending time with friends

AS: What are you really passionate about?

CR: I’m really passionate about raising awareness for sexual assault and abuse because it’s something I’ve had to deal with and some of my friends have had to deal with. And also raising awareness for bullying and suicide because last year one of my friends committed suicide and it was a huge deal. A lot of people, like administration, thought the right thing to do was to stay quiet about it because they were afraid that it would spark people to do it as well. I know where they’re coming from, and it’s a valid concern however, I think we’re going about it the wrong way. I think people need to know that they have options and that they’re not alone and that they aren’t the only people that go through it. And I think ultimately, that’s the best that we can do and how we can prevent it from happening.

AS: Are you outspoken about your views?

CR: Most of the poetry that I write is about sexual assault. It’s very powerful, but it makes a lot of people uncomfortable. When I performed it last year, it gave people chills. But that’s what people need, they need to feel invaded and uncomfortable because they’ll understand the situation better and it makes more of an impact.