Columbiana senior gets scholarship to Alabama school for nationally known debate team

COLUMBIANA

Crystal Stone, a senior at Columbiana High School, knows what she wants when she sets her goals.

That’s why after the University of Alabama accepted her, she decided to apply for a scholarship that came with joining the university’s forensics speech and debate team.

At first she didn’t think they’d choose her, but Stone found the home of the Rolling Tide accepted her in February for the full scholarship of $10,000 for her yearly tuition and to join the Forensics Council Team in the fall.

“I knew anything could happen; I wasn’t expecting it,” Stone said. “So it was a pretty good surprise.”

The scholarship allowed applicants from around the country to compete to get on the debate team, and of the 40 applicants vying for 12 spots on the team, Stone secured hers.

The team has done well competitively, placing within the top 20 at the American Forensic Association’s National Individual Events Tournament for the past two decades. Bobby Imbody, director of the Forensics Council, said he found Stone an intriguing applicant.

“Since we’re a competitive team at the university and in the nation, we need to find the best and brightest that we can,” Imbody said. “And Crystal’s an excellent student in the classroom and a wonderful and competitive student in the forensics laboratory, so we felt like she was a good student for our program.”

Read more about her in Tuesday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.