She’s a full-time student, she’s an intern for Missouri’s Speaker of the House and now she’s the number-one Lincoln-Douglas (LD) debater in the state.

Notching a 4-0 record at MAFA Missouri State Championships, Whitney Hart, senior political science major, attributes her success to her intense love of debate.

“It’s a commitment,” she said. “It’s been a big part of my life for six years.”

Hart beat a Truman State University debater in her final round for a perfect record, her second time to go undefeated.

“It feels fantastic,” she said. “It’s definitely an honor.”

After finishing first, Hart’s thoughts now rest on LD Nationals where she hopes to make it to the quarter-finals.

“Banking on winning the national tournament is a little egotistical, but I think I’m a contender,” she said.

Though she keeps a full schedule, Hart said she never has trouble keeping up with the workload.

“It’s pretty easy to process when you love it so much,” Hart said.

In addition to debate, Hart hopes her political science major and this semester’s internship for Speaker Ron Richard (R-Joplin) will further her career in politics.

“I was bitten by the political bug very early in life, my parents, we’d watch the news, and have our own little debates,” she said.