Cypress Park High School senior Nicole Lee is ranked No. 1 in the state and No. 9 in the country in the National Speech and Debate dramatic interpretation category. (Photo by Sophia Deleon, Cypress Park HS)

By Barakah Adedeji and Stephanie Garcia-Ugarte, Cypress Park HS

March 3, 2025—Cypress Park High School senior Nicole Lee is ranked No. 1 in the state and No. 9 in the nation in the National Speech and Debate (NSDA) dramatic interpretation category. Lee’s recent 860-point finish is approximately 233 more than the second place finisher from Garland High School.  

“I feel honored to be able to represent Cypress Park and to hopefully be in the lineage of people that represent Cypress Park,” Lee said. “The fact that we were able to show that our programs are just as efficient as other schools is spectacular.”

Lee, in addition to being ranked No. 1 in the state, is also among the top 3% of students nationwide to earn the NSDA Premier Distinction Degree, which is the highest degree in the NSDA Honor Society. Cy-Fair High School senior Avery McSwain and Jersey Village High School seniors Charlie Barry, Jason Brown and Joscelin Topete also earned the degree.

During Lee’s sophomore year, she qualified for the NSDA tournament, as well as becoming the Texas Forensic Association (TFA) champion in poetry interpretation. Lee also went on to win the UIL state championship in poetry later that year. During her junior year, Lee was a TFA state semifinalist in dramatic interpretation and a NSDA national quarterfinalist.

“For Nicole to reach this level it shows an incredible amount of dedication, hard work and talent,” said Tammi Raley, Cypress Park speech and debate teacher. “Having the honor of coaching her for the last four years and watching her grow and mature into just an exceptional performer, it has truly been an honor and one of the highlights of my career.”

Dramatic interpretation is an event where students use a play, short story or published work and then perform a selection of their choosing in under 10 minutes. Lee was surprised at her high score.

“I love this activity so much that I get caught up in performing sometimes that I really don’t keep up with things like this,” Lee said. “Not because they aren’t important, but because I’m always focused on what’s in front of me, so I’m not always looking at NSDA points and how much I’m accumulating. I’m sincerely honored and truly grateful. That number only shows a fraction of the love I have for this activity.”