Pink Suit Dreaming

In a world where the loudest voices often get the most attention, it's time to take a step back and recognize the performers who are putting in just as much heart, humor, and content, even if they're not always at the forefront. This series aims to cast a spotlight on some of the quieter powerhouses in the world of speech and debate, students whose stories, style, and spirit remind us why we fell in love with this activity in the first place.

One of these voices is Kaissa Hecham (Kay-suh Heck-um), an upcoming junior at The Woodlands High School in Texas. Identifiable to both her teammates and judges by her friendly demeanor, empathetic heart, and signature pink suit, Kaissa brings joy and intentionality to every piece that she performs. When asked to introduce herself, she responded:

"Hi! My name is Kaissa Hecham, and I compete at The Woodlands High School.". I mainly do HI and Prose. I completely love them both because they enable me to find different parts of myself and connect with others through acting. I'm really bubbly, and I totally have a soft spot for a cute pink suit. Outside of speech, I'm a massive fan of The Smiths, and I'm going to be pursuing STEM after high school. I just really enjoy being part of this community and being able to tell stories that are significant to me."

After some much-needed catching up, Kaissa and I broke through the small talk and jumped into some more reflective, and okay, a little juicy questions. First on the agenda:

What is something about speech and debate you hate?

"It's hard to think of something that I hate because I love speech so much," Kaissa said. "But if I had to pick something, it would be the lack of quality judging, especially at local tournaments but sometimes at large ones as well. A lot of judges haven't actually seen a speech round before or don't actually know what a good performance is supposed to look like. And that's not really their fault.". I think circuits like NSDA and TFA need to have higher standards and more accessible training for judges. We've managed to do it for tournaments like Worlds, so I truly feel judge training can be improved and made more accessible.

And let's be serious. In a community that despises a judge screw more than anything, I think we can all agree, she said what needed saying.

From that, we wished to get somewhat deeper and inquired about the following question: What is it regarding interp that you hate?

"One thing that I despise about interp is the oppression Olympics," Kaissa stated. "And allow me to make one thing clear, I am not criticizing anybody who performs a piece concerning an actual issue in society. That is what interpretation is for, to provide a voice for those who lack one.". What I find objectionable is when people utilize traumatic material solely for shock value in an attempt to win. I'm referring to works that are extremely graphic, extremely poorly acted, and clearly not personal to the contestant. If that's what it is, you're not doing justice to the writer or to their experience. You're not doing justice to the subject matter. You're merely using someone else's suffering as a trophy. Interpretation should focus on telling stories that truly matter to you, not exploiting trauma for competitive advantage.”

And she's not wrong. More people in this activity are turning real pain into performance props with no interest in reflecting or representing respect. You're not raising awareness. You're recycling someone else's pain for rankings and applause. We all paid the price for that kind of recklessness after what happened at NSDA Nationals. Let's not pretend we didn't.

On a lighter note, we changed topics and talked about one of the most enjoyable aspects of competition: what she likes to wear.

My favorite competition wear is a nice pantsuit and blazer combination," Kaissa said. "I have been trying several different kinds of business casual to see what I like best. I just adore a nice button-up blazer with a pair of matching pants. And I like to wear various colors. My favorite colors are brown and pink.".

And let's be real? Yes, it does! This sport has a tendency to turn many of us into middle-aged tax accountants. Some color and coordination never hurt anyone. Kaissa demonstrates that personality and professionalism definitely belong together.

Speaking of competitors, I asked Kaissa about something competitors do that she dislikes.

"One thing competitors do that I really dislike is judging a book by its cover," she replied. It's human nature to make assumptions about people, but in competitions it's exaggerated. Many competitors judge someone's worth or ability based on which school name appears on their shirt or their appearance. It happens everywhere, even in debate. Forensics individuals need to remember that there is always more to someone than meets the eye. You cannot measure someone's intelligence or ability based on your assumptions at a tournament.

She's right. You're all so hasty to behave as though you've determined a person's finishing position the moment they walk through the door. We preach equality, yet far too many contestants still let bias influence their decisions. Because someone isn't your idea of a threat doesn't mean they won't be the one holding the trophy.

We couldn’t wrap up the conversation without discussing an important topic: her experience as a person of color in the speech community.

“To be honest, my experiences as a POC speech kid are very limited, mostly because no one ever guesses my ethnicity correctly,” Kaissa said, laughing. “I’m Algerian, specifically from the people of La Kabylie, and I’m also Muslim. But I've noticed that some of the pieces I've performed don't connect in the same way with some judges, older white judges specifically. Like in UIL Category A, I performed a piece I wanted to showcase the beauty of humanity in spite of war. It had excerpts of A Bottle in the Gaza Sea by Valérie Zenatti, and I used it to raise awareness about the war in Palestine. Free Palestine, women, children, and men are still starving and being attacked by the IDF. Most of the time, I did quite well with the piece. But I've never placed top 3 when there is a white judge judging. Maybe I just didn't do well on those days, but honestly, it's suspicious.

Call a spade a spade. We discuss how speech provides voice for the voiceless, yet when those voices disrupt the comfort zones of white judges, they are disregarded. You can proclaim you believe in diversity in your tabroom bio, yet if Kaissa's piece about humanity in war time makes you uncomfortable, maybe the problem isn't the performance. Maybe it's you.

Regarding the future, Kaissa's keeping her feet on the ground while being passionate.

"My hope for next year is simply to have as much fun as I've had performing these past two years and to keep developing as an interpreter," she said. "Learning to speak was a bumpy road. I'm from a pretty small interp school, so I learned a lot on my own through judges' feedback and by attending as many tournaments as I could.". This year, I would love to try POI, it's been my dream since sophomore year. I would also like to continue to use my voice for the issues that I am passionate about. I have so many concepts, and I am looking forward to seeing where they will lead me. And, of course, I would like to perform better than last year at competitions, but who wouldn't?

Kaissa's story is one of joy, growth, and triumph she created for herself. It is a lesson to all of us about the power of speech when it's real, fun, and engaging. With some new dreams, new concepts that thrill her, and her favorite pink suit ready to roll, there's much more ahead this season. 

Peace out, competitors. See you next time.