“I just wanted my voice and my grandfather’s voice to be heard.”

Sophomore Vivinnia Aguilar, new this year to Cinco Ranch High School, joined the Debate class because she wants to become a lawyer. Now, for her entry in the Original Oratory speech competition, Aguilar hopes to deliver a more personal message.

“Most of the speech talks about my grandfather’s story,” Aguilar said. “He was deported in 2016. It was emotional. You see them as a good person, but when ICE comes to pick them up they seem like criminals. My grandfather wanted a new start. He decided when he was 14 to cross the border by himself. I want people to understand that these are actual peoples’ stories. Not just my grandfather but any grandfather, grandma or uncle that has gone through that same situation.”

Aguilar visited her grandfather, Filiberto Garcia, in Pedras Negras, Mexico during Thanksgiving break. Garcia was suffering from a brain tumor and in critical condition. It was there Aguilar found the inspiration for the subject of her speech.

“I told him about the speech when we went to visit,” Aguilar said. “I hadn’t seen him since 2016. He had a tumor, like a big blood clot in his brain. He was on his deathbed. He’s still taking medication now, but if it pops we’re not sure what will happen. But he helped me, he wrote down how it was in the detention centers and how they treated him. It was a lot. I just wanted my voice and my grandfather’s voice to be heard.”

Aguilar first competed with her speech in a December tournament at Mayde Creek High School. Requirements state that speeches must be seven to ten minutes long and completely memorized.

“I had one competition on the last day of school before winter break. I did okay because it was my first time and I did the Original Oratory [competition],” Aguilar said. “It was nerve-racking, I stuttered so much,” Aguilar said. But I think it was more of a learning process and me just memorizing it. It was a struggle to get finished. I didn’t know we had to memorize it until two days before. I was so nervous, and it was a lot. But I was passionate about doing the speech, I wanted people to know.”Aguilar and her family returned to visit Garcia after her competition. Heis now on medication for his tumorand in a stable condition. Aguilar plans to visit again over Spring Break. “Seeing him after doing the competition made me realize how this really affected my grandfather,” Aguilar said. “And it really affected me, my siblings, and my mom. It made me feel closer to him. He looked a lot better. He had started walking again. When I told him about the speech he was supportive, he even cried a little. He was proud of me. He wants people to know that it’s not just bad people that get put in detention centers. It’s also innocent people.”

Aguilar will continue working on her speech for a tournament on February 7 at Seven Lakes High School in hopes of advancing to state level competition in March.

“The speeches for my event are always like a problem and solution kind of speech,” Aguilar said. “And my solution is just to get my voice and my grandfather’s voice out there. To see where that goes. I know there are a lot of families and people like me. Loved ones get deported. It’s important to see these people, the good and the bad in their stories.”