Melissa Gonzalez, a 19-year-old UF psychology freshman, saw the current United States political climate as an opportunity for UF students to exercise their communication and debate skills.
This vision turned into an event drawing over 60 spectators and participants to the Reitz Union’s Senate Chamber Thursday at 3:30 p.m.
Gonzalez’s journey began with a simple idea — to host a debate allowing students to develop their critical thinking skills while discussing relevant national issues.
“I wanted to see if it's possible that this kind of debate could provide a bridge to being more passionate about what's happening in our country and what every student is going through,” she said.
To bring her idea to life, Gonzalez partnered with the Hedging & Trading Collective, a UF organization dedicated to providing students with practical experience in wealth management.
Gonzalez said she reached out to the collective because it had shown interest in the kinds of political conversations she hoped would take place at the debate.
The debate provided a platform for students involved in the collective to take part in discussions they may have a nuanced understanding of, like the economic plan proposed by each presidential candidate.
This collaboration ensured an unbiased and nonpartisan atmosphere, a key goal for Gonzalez, she added.
Cristian Ajanel, a 21-year-old finance senior and co-founder of the collective, facilitated the event. He delivered both opening and closing remarks while overseeing the proceedings to ensure respectful exchanges of differing viewpoints.
Gonzalez presented a wide range of topics that resonate deeply with UF’s students, including fiscal, foreign and environmental policies as well as abortion laws and weapon control. Gonzalez said the diversity of participants, who came from various academic backgrounds and majors, enriched the discussions and made for a more dynamic exchange of ideas.
Sonaya Brown, an 18-year-old biology freshman, attended as a spectator in support of one of her friends who is part of the Hedging & Trading Collective. Brown finds the exchange of contradicting ideas an exciting aspect of the student debate.
“I want to see everyone's opinions, even if it's something I'm not going to agree with,” she said.
Although the event was advertised as a “Harris versus Trump” debate, Gonzalez broke the format down into topics rather than partisan sides.
Madison Jones, a 19-year-old criminology sophomore and debate participant, said she appreciated this format.
“It didn't just leave it up to Democrats and Republicans,” she said. “It also opened the floor for a moderate to join in.”
Jones said this created a more casual environment. During the debate, multiple students who originally declined to participate felt compelled to include themselves in the conversation.
Even when the debate ended at 5:30 p.m., students continued their conversations in a respectful environment.
Gonzalez said she hopes to continue hosting events like these in the future and possibly starting her own on-campus organization to promote friendly, student-led debates.
Contact Vera Lucia Pappaterra at vpappaterra@alligator.org. Follow her on X @veralupap.
