SCC Forensics Team Helps Student Advance His Career Goals

Antonio LaSusa was in his first semester at Santiago Canyon College (SCC) when he was drawn into a program that would rapidly advance him toward his goals. As a new student who had transferred from another college, he was changing his major to communications from psychology. In addition to the broader communications curriculum offered at SCC, LaSusa was hoping to build a resume toward his career goal of marketing research.

In the first day of a speech class led by Jared Kubicka-Miller, LaSusa was drawn to his instructor’s compelling appeal for students to sign up for the forensics team. He signed up and was surprised to learn that he was one of 27 members who would build the team from the ground up. By default, he was immediately the founding member of a team! Interest in the team prompted the creation of a campus speech and debate club, where LaSusa became the club representative for the campus Inter-Club Council (ICC), which sets the rules and regulations for campus clubs.

"I had never considered myself as a leader, but my roles on the campus debate team and the speech and debate club propelled me into leadership positions,” said LaSusa. “I’m really enjoying growing into these leadership roles and was pleased to win a first place gold medal at my first-ever speech and debate tournament," he added.

The spirit of camaraderie on the team was a plus for LaSusa as a new student on campus, but also provided other valuable opportunities that he hadn’t anticipated. The Orange County Debate League, a nonprofit group of debaters comprised of students and faculty from middle schools, was recruiting college-level debate students to work with fledgling debate students in grades six through eight and to serve as tournament judges. LaSusa is preparing to further build his resume with this new position.

Meanwhile, his newly discovered leadership skills have also encouraged LaSusa to put his name on the ballot and run for the position of ICC chairperson. ​