He says he relishes obstacles.

The first came at age 6, when he left his native Rio de Janeiro for the United States not knowing a word of English.

By high school, he was a master of the language. At J.P. Taravella High School, Fernando Cutz was a debate champion, racking up dozens of awards. He worked his way to the ultimate recognition: a Silver Knight award for Speech in 2006.

At age 20, the lanky college student with a reassuring smile is facing a new challenge: Cancer.

Cutz was diagnosed in November, when he came back to his Coral Springs home for Thanksgiving break.

He'd been feeling a sharp pain in his lower abdomen. Doctors found a cancerous mass below his stomach.

The first surgery was Dec. 2; he went right back to St. Louis' Washington University afterward. Doctors then checked to see if the cancer had spread to his lymph nodes. It had. Those were removed, too.

On Monday, he started eight weeks of chemotherapy. And he's bringing the same attitude that turned him into a top-notch debater into his treatment.

''I kind of like pressure situations,'' Cutz said. ``I feel like I do better when I'm nervous.''

Cutz and his family came to Coral Springs to escape an unstable Brazilian economy. His parents, both engineers, found new careers. His mother now works in community relations for the city of Coral Springs; his father owns Beck's Smokery in Pompano Beach, which specializes in fish spreads.

His first year in elementary school here, Cutz had the lowest English level in his class. Improvement came gradually, much of it from the TV. He watched Nickelodeon shows and worked on his reading and writing at a school known for its ESOL program.

He flourished, fast.

''By the time I got to the third or fourth grade, people wouldn't believe I was from Brazil,'' Cutz said.

His first debate came in seventh grade, at Sawgrass Springs Middle School. His science teacher, Mrs. Americo, asked the class to prepare a discussion on the environment. Cutz was hooked, and in high school he decided he would take debate as an elective.

At Taravella, he wowed the debate coach, Beth Goldman, who has been teaching there for 26 years. She calls him ``the kind of student you'd like to clone.''

''He was very focused and motivated; he immediately won tournaments,'' Goldman said. ``He has a very nice, fluent, mild-mannered delivery that's very easy to listen to.''

It wasn't just about winning, though. During his freshman year at Taravella, Cutz went back to Sawgrass Springs and set up a debate program there, stopping by once a week to coach students. He then expanded the debate program to two other area middle schools, Silver Lakes and Ramblewood.

Meanwhile, he reaped awards, which he keeps on an overflowing shelf in his room, and plaques, which plaster his bedroom walls.

''When it got to a certain point, I just started stacking them up in the attic,'' Cutz said.

His first car, a red Honda Civic that his parents gave him when he turned 17, came with a custom license plate: DEBATER.

During high school, Cutz tirelessly took on projects and responsibilities. He was picked as most likely to succeed his senior year.

'I'm tired of telling him, `Slow down, don't do so much,' '' said his mother, Lydia Cutz. ``But, you know, it's him. We've never pushed.''

His family's house, in a neatly landscaped neighborhood in Coral Springs, is eclectically decorated. There are Asian-themed prints and decorations he brought back from a trip to Okinawa his senior year in high school. There's a color-splashed butterfly by Romero Britto that adds some Latin-American flavor.

The family keeps some Brazilian traditions. The cookouts on weekends; the feijoada, or stew, and the flour-based farofa. Cutz still roots for his favorite soccer team, Flamengo, although he can't catch their games on TV here. The family returns to Brazil every four years, not-so-coincidentally matching up with the World Cup.

After the emotion of his Silver Knight win came a full scholarship -- all expenses paid -- to Washington University. He joined the university's mock trial team, and is now thinking about law school. He'll be heading to Lisbon this summer, working for the U.S. embassy. He's getting secret clearance right now, he said, cracking a smile.

Because of the chemotherapy, Cutz has had to take off the rest of the school semester. His greatest worry is falling behind on classes and activities.

''That's what's really bothering me,'' he said.

But while he's home, he'll be closer to the budding debate students at Taravella. They look to him for advice, guidance and inspiration, Goldman said.

''He's like the shining light of the team,'' she said. ``He's still giving back.''