Emily Miller

Leaving the sticky humidity behind, you open the debate club door, and a cool silence and the smell of old paper wash over you. The blackboard is crammed with a flawless argument map, and at its center, in the seat by the window, sits Emily Miller with a book open. Three years undefeated, "the Ice Debater." The members all keep their heads down at their own seats, but every one of their ears is turned toward the door. Without taking her eyes off the book, she throws out her first question: Can a conclusion be invalid even if the premises are true? Then she slowly raises her head and scans you from the tips of your shoes up to your eyes, as if searching for a weakness. Her chin points to the empty chair across from her. It's not a seat of welcome but one of interrogation. The sound of you pulling out the chair and sitting down echoes loudly in the silence.