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For Pacific Forensics, family dynamic fuels giving day success
Director of Forensics Steven Kalani Farias ’09, ’11 with members of the Pacific Forensics team.
The next time University of the Pacific’s speech and debate team travels to a tournament, they’ll be well supported—by 318 members of their extended family.
During Pacific Gives, the university’s recent day of giving, alumni and friends of Pacific Forensics gave in record numbers to the Paul Winters Tournament Endowment, providing more than $10,000 to help students participate in regional and national tournaments.
This is the third year that forensics has been a featured program during Pacific Gives. Donors’ impact has been significant, expanding learning opportunities and boosting student morale.
“We’re a family in all senses of the word, and Pacific Gives is a unique opportunity to connect different generations of our family,” said Director of Forensics Steven Kalani Farias ’09, ’11.
“Because of these gifts we’ve been able to participate in additional tournaments, but more importantly, the extra support allows the whole team to travel rather than a select, exceptional few,” he continued. “This maintains that family atmosphere for the students who compete, and it allows all our students to see the country and experience places they’ve never been before.”
This year, 18 student competitors participated in more than a dozen tournaments, including national contests in Texas, Illinois and Michigan. They’ll compete in five different states next year.
The team are high academic achievers and leaders on campus, Members devote an average of 10 hours a week to researching, writing and practicing their arguments, and their competition schedule includes 16 weekends of travel per academic year.
“We’re building professionals, teaching students how to communicate and how to constructively disagree, and in the process, they’re traveling as much as our student-athletes and maintaining a 3.5 GPA,” Farias said.
Students also enjoy networking with an active forensics alumni base. Since 2019, the Pacific Forensics Alumni Club has connected speakers and debaters spanning more than six decades.
During Pacific Gives, the club’s leaders offer participation challenges to encourage support for forensics. Students and alumni are competitive, leveraging numerous other matches and challenges each year to multiply their impact. And their efforts have paid off: In just two years, the number of donors to forensics has tripled.
“Students recognize the value of a Pacific education when they see alumni supporting them individually and investing in their organizations,” said Pam Gibbs ’92, a member of the alumni club’s steering committee.
“I enjoy watching the students grow as competitors, but more importantly, I enjoy seeing them gain important skills as critical thinkers, skills that are valuable in the workforce and in life.”
For their part, students showered their support base with calls, emails and social media posts during the 24-hour giving period. Their outreach included personal stories highlighting how forensics has impacted their lives.
“I’ve felt afraid to advocate for my own needs at different points in my life, but through speech and debate, I’ve realized there’s no reason to be intimidated by the idea of speaking up—you may be giving someone else the courage to do the same,” reflected Ben Brogger ’26.
Brogger’s teammate, Simran Ghusar ’26, relayed similarly impactful learnings.
“Pacific Forensics has taught me the importance of enjoying experiences as they unfold, rather than obsessing over the outcome,” she said. “This lesson has had a profound impact on my life beyond debate, helping me become more confident in my everyday experiences, especially as I prepare to transition to graduate school.”
Farias, the director, anticipates the team will grow to 25-30 members next year. They’ll practice all summer before tournament season begins in September. Pacific Gives will offset the costs of transportation, lodging, meals and tournament registration.
“The only way to get these students the support they need and the recognition they deserve is to maintain our visibility—and giving sends the signal that this program makes an impact, we have support, and our value is recognized,” Farias said.
To make a gift to the Paul Winters Forensics Tournament Endowment, please visit pacific.edu/MakeAGift.
