Derek Hilligoss is currently a fourth-year Ph.D. student and assistant coach at the University of Kansas! As an assistant coach at Kansas and Wake Forest, he worked both with teams in deep elims of the NDT and debaters just getting into college. Before that he debated for five years at the University of Central Oklahoma where he qualified to the National Debate Tournament four times, clearing to the octofinals twice and received a top-16 First Round At Large Bid his last year! As a student, his research interests fall primarily in the field of critical theory with a focus on Anti-Blackness, Settler Colonialism, and Psychoanalysis. His favorite argument as a debater was Settler Colonialism. When asked why he loves the activity, Derek said, "Debate should be fun. When I first joined debate the spark struck and I've only had fun ever since. Getting to see growth in myself, my friends, and others over the years shows the importance of debate for me."