42 states. 10 countries. 493 schools. 1 life-defining moment. Senior Marc Wynne experienced his life-defining moment at the 45th annual Harvard University Speech and Debate tournament in Boston, Ma. at the end of February.

Wynne won 2nd in Humorous Interpretation, 4th in Program of Oral Interpretation, and Octafinals in Oratory, which enabled him to represent and set records for not only Klein Oak Debate but for Klein ISD as a whole.

“Never before in Klein ISD history has a student advanced to finals at Harvard, much less place in 2 events,” Head Debate Coach Angie Richard said.

However, Wynne didn’t walk into this huge national level tournament without some nervous thoughts and mental motivation.

“The tournament was very overwhelming as there are people from across the nation competing with the same goal. I had to go in with the ‘winning mindset’,” Wynne said.

Wynne’s results received national attention from the media for his performance of Little Evil by Eli Craig after Richard posted a video on Twitter that caught the eye of the author himself, and motivated contestants from the tournament and Wynne’s past to contact him via social media and text.

“It’s definitely inspiring to me to see how I inspired others,” Wynne said. “I had many people from across the nation reach out to me on social media and it’s great to see how I inspired them.”

Wynne also dedicates himself to set a standard of excellence for the school, Klein ISD, and the African American community through his work and overall performance on the team.

“I definitely think it’s good to be an example for the African Americans in our community, so when they go to high school they realize they don’t need to be in athletics to be successful,” Wynne said.

About a week later, Wynne competed at the East Texas National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA) Qualifying tournament and won first place in Humorous Interpretation, which qualifies him to compete at the NSDA National Tournament in Dallas this summer.

“I think it’s an especially memorable moment for KO Speech and Debate,” junior teammate Hajar Mohammad said. “I’ve known Marc since freshman year and I’m proud to see him grow to be this successful.”

Both Richard and Assistant Coach Debby Carpenter said they are proud of Wynne and the overall team’s performance not only at this tournament but over the course of this school year.

“I was so excited and proud of the Klein Oak representation,” Carpenter said. “All of our students were awesome participants. It is always a pleasure to work with students who commit themselves to excellence.”