During the summer, people go on many different excursions. Whether it be traveling to a different country, or just going to your grandparents’ for the summer, students all have something that gives them memories to think about during the school year. For junior Sara Al-Rishawi, an expectantly amazing summer took a turn for the worst. During the week of June 16-June 22, Al-Rishawi was set to participate in the National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA) nationals tournament in Dallas, Texas. This was a major milestone in her debate career.

“I worked hard for two years just to get to that point. I was able to accomplish a lot of stuff and it showed that all my hard work paid off,” Al-Rishawi said. 

Unfortunately, her participation in the tournament was cut short. On the night of Tuesday, June 18, Al-Rishawi was prepping for the next day of competition in her hotel near several outdoor games being hosted in the ballroom. One of these being similar to a game of Four Square. All of the sudden, one of the balls was deflected, and hit a chandelier-like fixture directly above Al-Rishawi. Large shards of glass from the fixture broke and came raining down, pummeling on top of Al-Rishawi’s head. This shower of glass resulted in a concussion, a cut on her hand and a piece a glass scratching her eye. As a result of her injuries, Al-Rishawi was unable to continue in the tournament and had to drop out two days into it. 

Despite this, the competition remained to be the proudest part of her summer. For her, it was not only an amazing opportunity, but also a great learning experience.

“That was a really great experience to be able to see a different style of debate that isn’t present in the United States, but is present on an international level,” Al-Rishawi said. 

Al-Rishawi is planning on continuing to expand her debate career, along with participating in many other activities she participates in at LSE. These include Future Health Professionals (HOSA) and tennis. She continues to work hard and prosper, using the techniques taught to her by her culture and her parents.