05/10/2026
We're proud to announce that Carys Hoggan will be our Equity Officer for the upcoming Sheffield Novices Competition this October!
If you asked me to name the top three qualities a debater needs to succeed, I’d say: the ability to think quickly, the dedication to work so hard that you forget you’re doing a degree, and the persistent urge to quit (despite the fact that you never actually will). I don’t think anyone embodies these qualities more perfectly than Carys.
After escaping the shackles of the Oxford Union, Carys somehow found herself imprisoned once again (this time by the LDU). To be fair, it’s a bit like escaping Alcatraz only to discover that your next sentence is being served in a Norwegian prison. Since joining the LDU, however, Carys has been on an absolute rampage, breaking at competitions including Lancaster Schools, Bristol Pro-Am and Southampton Pro-Am, as well as carrying me to my first-ever open break at Lancaster IV. So it’s fair to say that she has risen through the ranks with alarming speed to become one of the LDU’s best and brightest.
I don’t believe that anyone is born destined for a particular role in life. Carys, however, may be the exception that proves the rule (or at least the exception who will argue with the rule until it changes). She appears to have been specifically engineered for equity, both within debating and in life generally, where she can often be found arguing with several government ministers in pursuit of better equity and inclusion in all sectors.
In debating, Carys continues her noble campaign against the sinister forces of 2015 university debating, having graciously taken up the reins as the LDU’s Equity Officer. I’m sure she is ideally equipped to deal with issues such as [redacted], and any other problems caused by people who think “it’s just banter” is a sufficient defence.
All in all, Sheffield have struck diamonds with this pick. They are extremely lucky to have Carys as the equity officer for this competition, and we are all extremely lucky that she has not yet decided to quit.
Bio by Callum Smith
