Felicia Jarvis
I got my start in speech and debate almost by accident. My friend needed a duet partner for her speech class during my sophomore year of high school in Kansas. I immediately loved it! After relocating to Oklahoma City my Junior year for my dad’s Air Force assignment, I joined the MHS Debate Team and began competing in a wide range of speech and debate events. I ended up placing in all 3 of my main events at the state level, became a 3x National Qualifier, and ultimately placed as a National Semifinalist in my senior year. Earning points was also important to me, so I tried out as many events as I could, qualifying for and competing in the champion’s division of every single one. At the end of my senior year I earned the National Speech and Debate Association’s “Degree of Outstanding Distinction” with over 1,000 points in just two years. I was the first student from the school to go to Nationals in an interp event and at the time of writing this bio, the only student to ever advance to National Semifinals (one round away from the stage)!
Outside of debate, I was a Varsity Lead Attorney on our state finalist mock trial team, earning Best Attorney in every round of the state tournament. I was also active in drama/Theater as an Honor Thespian and Senior Officer in the MHS program, with multiple awards in one-act plays. I also worked at the Burger King down the street starting the day I turned 16 all the way until graduation.
I was offered nearly a quarter million dollars in scholarships, including debate scholarships, which allowed me to move to Washington State to attend Pacific Lutheran University. I was in the International Honors Program, Emerging Leaders Program, and on the speech and debate team. I competed in Worlds, impromptu, and poetry events.
Though I entered college planning to become a diplomat, I found that I was more interested in using the skills I had in persuasion, influence, and argument for grassroots lobbying and advocacy. I managed political campaigns and won a fight to expand voter access, winning the placement of 5 ballot boxes within my local county. I’ve explored other passions since then, including videography. Today, I work in the private sector as a project manager and operations professional. I’ve lead communications initiatives for venture-backed startups in emerging tech sectors like robotics, AI, and cybersecurity. I currently support a marketing team that promotes tourism and generates economic activity throughout the United States.
I live in Washington where I’m usually hiking and camping. I’m lucky enough to get to travel often, and I still return to Moore to see my family. I’ve also been blessed to be a returning judge at the National Speech and Debate tournament over multiple years and volunteer for the team in other capacities. Oh yeah, and I run the MHS debate Alumni group! GO LIONS!