Members of the Port Chester High School Debate team earned third place in the African American Men of Westchester 2024 Business Skills Olympics on April 25. During the competition, they presented their research on how generative artificial intelligence can augment human creativity.

The students – seniors Damian Dominguez, Jaina Gonzalez, Yazirah Handal, Ava Osorio and Damaris Ramirez – will be honored during a dinner hosted by AAMW and Morgan Stanley later in the school year, where they will each receive a bronze medal and a $100 gift card. Justin Thomas, an English teacher and the team’s adviser, said he was immensely proud of the students, their hard work and their voices.

“What struck me the most was how well they worked together, how knowledgeable they were and how prepared they were,” Thomas said. “We were the only school there that had a full posterboard of research information, which speaks to the dedication and drive of these students. They also spoke in such an informed way with the type of confidence you expect to see from seasoned veteran public speakers. Their preparation, drive, teamwork and confidence are what earned them this award, and rightfully so. They impressed everyone in that auditorium, and they truly made me and all of Port Chester so proud.”

The Business Skills Olympics is an annual high school competition in which high school student teams from throughout the county analyze graduate-level business school cases and present their solutions to selected problems.

Date Added: 4/30/2024