Jack Jenkins Award

The Jack Jenkins Award is named in honor of the Jack Jenkins Foundation, which is one of TDC's longstanding and most generous partners. The foundation was established to honor a former Westlake debater who passed away many years ago. And in remembrance of Jack and the foundation that bears his name, TDC presents the Jack Jenkins Award each year to two students who exemplify the values of TDC---they nurture the best in others; they encourage their labmates to work hard, believe in themselves, and to pursue and achieve excellence.

TDC 2025

Alaysha Cisneros

This student is always enthusiastic in lab; whether it’s speaking drills, practice rounds, or learning about a new subject, this student is always excited to learn and puts the maximum amount of effort that they can into everything. They are always kind and considerate to other students, such as greeting them and asking how they’re doing or making an effort to share with them, and it is clear how much the other students like and appreciate them. Anyone who has taught this student knows how much they care about the event and about learning at camp. They are committed to excellence, take criticism like a champ, and always focus on how they can improve their debate skills. The level of thoughtful reflection this student has displayed reflects how they represent the best of TDC.

Eléna Lucas

This student is always mindful of how things are going to affect the lab, prioritizing the lab as a whole in decision-making processes and lending a helping hand to debaters before they give their speeches. She gives thoughtful and constructive feedback to peers and pushes them to perform to the best of their ability. She elevates any debate she participates in and is relentless in her pursuit to maximize what she can learn from whomever she is talking to. She has been a cornerstone in lab, and we all have had a better TDC experience because of her.

TDC 2024

Alyssa Gomez

This wonderful student never hesitates to ask questions in class and always participates in activities. She often seeks out extra help during office hours and challenges herself with the knowledge she learned. She always makes sure to communicate with her labmates with kindness and care. She embodies the TDC spirit of intellectual curiosity in all her actions with labmates and instructors. We are so proud of her!

Zaid Rashid

In lab, Zaid is an amazing student to have the opportunity to teach. Not only does he ask tons of questions and always wants to match up with anyone for drills, Zaid always takes time out of his day to ask us questions outside of lab time. He radiates such positive energy and lights up lab even when the drills seem too intense. He’s always funny and has a smile which adds to the joy he brings to the space. Zaid never questions anyone and takes criticism very well, to the point that he will write paragraphs of notes on his flow so he can improve on his speech the next time around. Zaid just really seems to adore the debate space and values everyone’s time which we can all appreciate! Look forward to seeing what Zaid does this upcoming season!

TDC 2023

Tristan Calvez

Tristan is a very brilliant student full of ideas. He is a great leader and someone you can always trust. Although it was hard to first get him to open up, over the course of the two weeks at TDC, he became more involved and gained lots of friends. Tristan has been a very hardworking student who seems to care about learning what debate is really about and how much it can help outside of rounds. He is a great teammate and I’m sure everyone who got to work with him really appreciates his participation.

Miles Kshatriya

Miles Kshatriya has provided an amazing amount of support and care for his lab mates and continues to strive to make the debate community more inclusive. Miles is passionate, caring, and genuinely represents the best part of debate. As a student, Miles is proactively engaged with lectures and drills while being a supportive lab mate.