Three students from Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College’s TRIO Student Support Services program will return to campus with an impressive accomplishment under their belts. As members of the TRIO SSS debate team, they secured second place at the Southeastern Association of Educational Opportunity Program Personnel (SAEOPP) Regional Academic Competition held April 17-18 in Atlanta.

Evelin Del Angel of Sparks received top honors for overall speaker points, while Josiah Marshall of Irwin County placed second in the same category. Speaker rankings were based on performance in the first four of five debate rounds.

The ABAC team included Del Angel and Marshall as competitors, with Melissa Rodriguez serving as an alternate. Despite competing against many upperclassmen, including seniors from other institutions, the team demonstrated strong communication skills and poise throughout the competition.

“We are so proud of the hard work of these three students,” said Melissa Moore, director of TRIO Student Support Services at ABAC. “Evelin and Melissa are freshmen and Josiah is a sophomore, and many of their competitors were college seniors. They showed a remarkable level of skill and poise throughout all five debate rounds. They are an excellent representation of ABAC and our TRIO SSS program.”

Del Angel said the opportunities provided through TRIO Student Support Services helped prepare her for the competition.

“The most helpful thing TRIO has been able to offer me is the opportunities, the chances to go out and make a name for myself,” Del Angel said. “I was able to go to one of Georgia TRIO’s conferences where we gave a presentation on how to ‘Survive College’ and gave guidance to students who are interested in going to college. Without those opportunities, I wouldn’t have gotten the chance to go to SAEOPP and compete for our school or for the state of Georgia.”

Marshall said competing against older students made the experience especially rewarding.

“Going up against upperclassmen was very exhilarating and a wonderful experience that I hope to recreate,” he said.