The Trinity Prep Forensics program is in an exciting season, with several students earning recognition for their performances at the 2025 National Speech and Debate Association Tournament, including one earning a second National Champion title. On the heels of this competition success, the program recently welcomed a passionate new director with a rich history of forensics education and competition: Katrina Brominguez.
Meet Katrina Brominguez, Director of Forensics
Forensics has been an integral part of Brominguez’s life since her high school years. She competed in both high school and college, and since then, has continued to hold a place in the speech and debate world. In her early years as a teacher, a fellow teacher encouraged her to try coaching on the competitive side of speech and debate. This eventually led to several debate league leadership roles and hosting opportunities, all of which she did while teaching classes.
Prior to joining the Trinity Prep faculty, Brominguez had only worked in public schools. When she found out she was moving to Orlando, the opportunity at Trinity Prep excited her enough that she decided to take the leap to private school. She had some nerves about the transition, but those eased as she realized how much her beliefs aligned with Trinity Prep’s philosophy, especially when it came to service. The school’s dedication to resilient students and service-based learning instantly resonated with her.
“One of my biggest things with these programs is service,” Brominguez said. “The real-world application is very cool to me. It’s easy to talk a lot in a box, but applying it to real life is a different story.”
Building a Culture of Excellence and Service
While Trinity Prep’s speech and debate team is best known for its spirit of competition and award-winning students, what impresses Brominguez most is the student leadership shown through the executive board initiatives and the acts of service. Students on the Forensics executive board create most of the rules and develop the speech and debate practice program, which gives them ownership of their success. As the students mentor one another, they also receive assistance from alumni, staff, and assistant coaches who see the value in forensics as a life skill.
“I believe, bar none, that forensics is the most versatile and useful skill on the planet,” Brominguez said. “It’s good for your relationships, good for your work life, good for everything.”
Service as a Core Value
The emphasis on service at Trinity Prep empowers students to take initiative and build their leadership skills from multiple angles. Students in the Trinity Prep Forensics program have created opportunities outside of the program to encourage more inclusion and equality in the field. They also tend to participate in civics and community assistance programs that go beyond the competitive field and classroom learning. This spirit of service extends to students within their own Trinity Prep community.
Inclusivity and Program Growth
Starting this year, varsity students have begun mentoring Trinity Prep middle school students, who have gone on to participate in local competitions and are now starting to travel to compete. This is a program that Brominguez and her team initiated, which has been seeing a lot of success for both the mentors and the younger students.
One team captain initially expressed concern that he worried about the middle school students taking on too much, but with the help of his coaches, he developed a plan to track their progress. After the tournament, one of the students told Brominguez that he was amazed by how much his captain cared about him. Moments like these show students the value of hard work and empathetic leadership.
“My hope is that students get more out of it than competition success. After all, who doesn’t love a trophy?” Brominguez stated. “If they can gain leadership and relationship skills, the true power that forensics can give them moving forward, then that’s all I could want for any high school student.”
Welcoming and Supporting Newcomers
According to Brominguez, public speaking is the number one fear in the world. She often sees students crying during their first tournaments or feel intimidated by joining Trinity Prep Forensics in the first place. They learn to love it after some practice, but until then, they need all the support they can get. Brominguez and her fellow coaches start new students with subjects they enjoy, letting the process be a game as they ease their way in. It’s all about support and allowing the experience to be a growth opportunity.
Balancing Forensics and Other Passions
While Brominguez feels strongly about the power of forensics, she also wants students to understand it as a support skill. Public speaking alone will not secure students a job or admission to their college of choice. The Trinity Prep Forensics program offers students flexible options for participation, allowing them to prioritize other commitments, such as sports teams or college applications, as needed. Some activities are seasonal, but Forensics is available year-round.
“There’s no downtime, so we push heavily for students to only take on what they can. If you need to participate in online competitions where all you do is submit a video, that’s fine. If you need competitions with less prep work, that’s fine.”
Looking to the future of Trinity Prep Forensics, Brominguez looks forward to watching the programs she has worked with the team to build come to full fruition. She looks forward to continuing the tradition of competition while helping students understand the true power of forensics. Learn more about the Trinity Prep Forensics program by visiting our website.