Matt Hogan, a graduate of Carson High School, got a send-off party at the University of Nevada, Reno, on Friday, before leaving to represent the U.S. in the National Parliamentary Debate Association's annual United States vs. Irish debate, Friday at Texas Tech University in Lubbock.
Matt, a senior at UNR, is one of three college students in the nation on Team U.S.A.
The U.S. debaters are always undergraduates, usually seniors, chosen by the NPDA based on three criteria: sportsmanship and diplomacy, forensic and academic achievement, and effectiveness in public debate.
The U.S.-Irish debate is held each year at the beginning of the NPDA's Championship Tournament, which is always held around St. Patrick's Day.