SantaLucia Hernandez

SantaLucia Hernandez is an Assistant Director of Programs at Chicago Debates. A Chicago native and alum of Thomas Kelly High School, she competed nationally in debate before attending the University of Wisconsin-Madison as a first-generation college student. While there, she founded the seventeenth chapter of Gamma Alpha Omega Sorority Inc. and mentored both high school and college students. Her nonprofit career began at Gads Hill Center and WES Health System, where she developed youth programming. She later joined the Silicon Valley Urban Debate League, earning New Coach of the Year for the Coastal Forensic League. Now at Chicago Debates, she has held multiple roles, from debater to judge, coach, and staff. She is instrumental in creating engaging debate experiences and recently helped launch the Debate en Español program.