By: Kaleb Doutt
Throughout history there have been multiple specific and pivotal moments for society, government, and economy. These pivotal moments are what have shaped this continent as we know it today. They are what have leapt us forward in technological advancements and in rising up new leaders to care and lead these nations; which has helped us gain ground on huge world problems like poverty, cancer, and anarchy. On the morning of October 13, 2018, in the Hotel Camino Real of Managua, Nicaragua, another one of these rare and spectacular moments was surfaced at the VI Summit of DALE Nicaragua Conference. The magic began with President Emilio Enriquez pronouncing the words, “I declare this session open!”
(Debate Académico de Líderes Estudiantiles)
Now, the work wasn’t just as easy as stating those words for all the directors of DALE. They were faced against many trials along the way; some of which they should have never have surpassed, particularly due to their age. Although, as their talents and dedication will repeatedly show, they did indeed make this summit possible. While perhaps many students backed out along the way, the conference was a success in the end. The organization was the first to become a trilingual debate organization in the continent by adding a French committee. They even got the French ambassador to give an opening speech addressing all participating students. On the contrary, the original dates for this conference were April 20 and 21, but when the national crisis in the country expanded overnight, canceling the dates, some students, from schools outside of the country, were left stranded with nowhere to go. This left many spots on the board of DALE stranded–which is when Emilio Enriquez swooped in and became the president of DALE. In an interview with him, this is what he had to say about the crisis: “Honestly, this ‘crisis’ has been going on for eleven years now. It’s because no political organization exists yet to prevent what’s happening that it has continued to this point. It’s tragic. As you know many of our directors had to graduate, so when we called up people to recruit, they couldn’t because their parents had lost their jobs. It’s sad honestly.”
