so,
oracle, did it all happen as foretold? we're here at the finish line, and there's a lot to discuss. i have to send you off with this letter before they send you to fight in iran, after all.
remember how we met in educ? geez that is like forever ago. well from there we started to talk a little bit, before not really talking that much until junior year, where we had brown together. that was around the time i started to hand with ydalia, josh, alexa and everybody. from there senior year began, which is where we really got know each other. as much as i loved learning about demand curves in santamaria's class, the table we sat at was truly the highlight of my day. noah and ydalia ragebaiting you, our entire table loudly talking above everybody else, it was a great experience. it's also where i got to know a little bit more about you, like your navy aspirations, your family, the classes you were taking. and then that led to a cascade of other events. friendsgiving, prom weekend, etc. i think my favorite parts thought were just every time i saw you in hoyt's or at the college. it was really nice to get to know you at a deeper level and deepen that friendship, to make all of those memories during my final year.
one of them i'm particuraly fond of is that night campfire and photoshoot. now this requires a bit of context and vunerability, but this is pretty much the point of these letters. especially after what had happened with me and the alexis and jody friend group, i intentionally went out of my way to meet new people and not be afraid of entering a group that i wasn't a part of. that's why i sat at that table with you at santamaria's, why i planned events such as the campfire and such, why i brought my camera everywhere. i was looking to make memories, but i was also a little disafflicted by what had transpired with my previous experience entering into a community of people, a group of friends who hang out together. why is this all important to mention? because you are truly someone who makes me feel like i belong. i just feel like you get me, for one reason or another. maybe we're on the same woke wavelength, both chronically online. maybe it's a queer connection, or something of that sort. but i think the simplest way to put it is that you are someone i want to be around, your personality invites people in that sort of way. and that's what was exemplified by that day at the campfire. it was everything i had planned it to be and more. my goal for that hangout was to not be afarid to show myself, to get to know you guys and invite you into a true conversation, which is exactly what took place. sufjan stevens and solar power, s'more and the stars. it is one of my favorite memories of senior year. i appreciated hearing your perspective too, of your time in middle school and your outlook on the future. your musings on senior year inspired the project on the main page of this domain, but we'll get to that later. what's imporant is that we connected on a deeper level, and i will always be appreiciatve of that. and thanks for modeling for the photoshoot. those images are some of the things i'm most proud of making, like ever.
as you move into serving for the navy, i wish you good luck during boot camp and training. i hope that you don't get sent off to iran or venezuela or whoever we're at war next, i hope that you are paid well and are able to claim disability with ydalia to live out your lesbian fantasy somewhere, collecting those military checks. but on a serious note, i wish the best for you.
there are a couple more things to say. first, i have another surprise for you. it was supposed to be apart of this one, but you're gonna have to wait until your going away party. but i think you'll love it. also, your oracleness has inspired the contents of the main page, which you'll find linked below. you should check it out, it has all of my thoughts about senior year on there. and this digital letter wouldn't be complete without about a billion videos, photos, and other stuff to commerate our gradutaion. thanks for all of those memories, by the way. thank you for being an amazing friend. you know where to reach me when you want to catch up.
MUCH LOVE AND FAREWELL!!!
ruben capetillo
to: madison
As I’m writing this, you are currently dancing along with Jerry, Gio, and Advita to a remix of Doechii’s Alter Ego on the way home from BPCC. It’s getting dark outside, and I’m reminiscing of all the time we’ve spent together on this debate team, all of late nights spent at colleges hours away from home and time spent in practice. So I wanted to write it all down for you, everything. This whole debate story, similar to the way you suggested someone make a debate documentary.
The first memory I really have of you is that one conversation we had in the ATC stairwell regarding your experiences as a judge on the debate team. It was freshman year, and I had either just joined or was about to. Even then, you talked with a fondness for debate that is rarely matched anywhere on the circuit for me. Even though you hadn’t competed by that point, the way you went on describing the things I would learn by judging and flowing rounds gave me even more interest to dive deeper into the world of debate.
So that’s how I began to know you, through the times we would meet every Monday and Wednesday. It was really me, you, and Adrian, all of us freshman on the team with Nathan, Emma, Priscilla, Diego, Carlos, Elias, and Rebecca. While I’m sure you remember this period of time, I just have to mention how much it means to me to enter into the circuit with you, right out of the gate from Varsity. I remember the first strike, ever, at ACU. You, me, and Adrian were all waiting around with our padfolio’s waiting for our names to be called, and when they yelled “STRIKE!” All of the sudden it dawned upon me that we were doing it for real. We went up against the same people. You and me talked about the way Heidi Tyler debated, and how we were going to beat her the next time we went up against her. Or how we flowed, or introduced arguments. We all learned from each other, it was such a collective experience. I really can’t imagine debate as an individual activity, because of the things I most remember about, it isn’t the time I spend in round with my opponent, or the silent flowing I’d do as I judged out rounds, it’s the way you and my other teammates made debating worth it.
But I like how we didn’t just talk about debate. I love our little big hobby, but I enjoy more the times we’d spend seeing each other in the hallway or just talking anywhere we found each other, whether that be in class or at the college. I remember doing the PAT presentations with you (the scream you gave leaving the Gentry parking lot after what that kid told you, lol), I remember talking to you in study hall and watching you do stuff for music club, which we were both apart of for a time if I remember correctly. I’m glad that we both spent some time together outside of the activity where we knew each other the most, it just goes to show how it was never really about who or what we were debating against, or anything “Debate” at all, it was always about friendships, and a having a second family to call yours.
After the seniors graduated and we advanced up a division, I began to see you become a natural leader of the debate team. Even before you were officially captain, it was wonderful to see how you become a mentor to the newer people on the team. At first there was Tara, then Lorenzo and you became friends. Soon after that, we got the twins, Gio, Advita, and everyone else. You are a really amazing captain and friend, and i just want you to recognize that. You have a talent for supporting the mentor relationships that make guiding people on the right past easy, simple, and fun. Every time Tara debates, every time the team looks at the GroupMe or carries snacks to the van, that’s you at work. The team just wouldn’t be the same without you, and I think that shoes how lucky we all are to have you be the glue that makes all of this fit together so nicely.
But we’re seniors now. In fact, now that you are reading this, you’ve already opened your envelope. This is the end of an era, the closing of the chapter, whatever you want to call it. And the truth is that we’ll never have this thing again. This debate thing. Because to call it a club or debate society really doesn’t do it justice. It’s the feeling I had when you and me side eyed each other as our opponent said something that came out of left field, or the good spirit that took a hold of us as we jammed out on the way home from a tournament. All of that is coming to a close. But even if we aren’t on the circuit, even if we aren’t apart of the debate team, that doesn’t mean we aren’t apart of our family anymore. It means that all of that time we spent with our team was special, and always will be.
As you move on from high school and onto this next chapter in your life, know that this time you spent in debate will always be there to empower you. Take on the world with the same ferocity that led you to beat Jackson Csoma from breaking (nice job on that one btw :)). Lead others the same way you led all of us into this activity, and inspire the same camaraderie that you gave all of us. Give it all a meaning, and you will see that all of this will pay you back and then some. And remember that debate will always be a second home for you, should you choose to go back for a tournament or two.
The truth is that I don’t expect for us to see each other much at all after high school is over with. As you are reading this, you might very well be reading and seeing me for the last few times. But if you ever want to catch up, I’m a call away. Forget mysterious and nonchalance, that’s all fake. If any of you at all call me up, I’ll answer. I mean, I am the guy who stayed on the phone for eight hours with someone (yes, that was real story, and I stand by it, I love talking). You know where to reach me, just call or hit me up on insta whenever you want.
Anyways, I hope this letter has been a nice parting gift from me to you. But if you know anything about me, you know that I’m always extra. So, this is why you’re reading this on this website. I’m including all sorts of goodies for you to enjoy whenever you want. Old photos of us on the circuit, footage I’ve taken at tournaments, and footage of the team all saying goodbye to you. There’s plenty else, too.
Alright, this is the final paragraph. I hope you enjoyed Senior Breakfast! Maybe you are reading this after graduation, or decided to scan the QR code already. Whatever point in time you are reading this from, just know that the Ruben who’s riding along with you from BPCC is cheering for you, and wants you to know how much you and your love of debate that you shared with me means to my story and who I am. The same Ruben who’s been along with you for this crazy activity we love so much, the same one who’s apart of this second family, he’s very proud to have known you. Thank you so much for everything you’ve given me and the members of the debate team over the years. It has meant so very much to me, and I know you feel the same way. I know that this just the beginning, and we’ve still got the rest of our lives to live, but even if this just a prologue… it was a hell of a good one, and you’re a big part of making that happen for all of us. I hope the rest brings you much happiness, and truly believe you have big things ahead of you.
PEACE LOVE AND PROSPERITY TO YOU!!!!!,
ruben capetillo
