Student Leadership Council

Aspyn has been involved in speech and debate since she was a freshman. She has competed in several events, including Informative Speaking, Extemporaneous Speaking, and Storytelling, among others. She serves as the Senior Public Address chair and Junior Captain for her team the Gavelin’ Eagles.

Outside of speech, Aspyn is a member of the National Honor Society, and competed as a 2024 International Science and Engineering Fair Finalist. She plans to be a professional violinist and spends much time on the violin as her passion.
Aspyn is incredibly grateful to serve her second term as a member of the Student Leadership Council and is excited to continue supporting the community which has provided much joy and many opportunities to her.

Sneha is a rising senior at the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics. As a Congressional Debater, her competitive accomplishments have earned her recognition on both the national and international stage. She earned 3rd place at the NCFL Grand Nationals, was recognized as an NSDA Nationals Finalist, and holds titles including TFL North Carolina State Champion (JV), National Laird Lewis Invitational Champion, and Champion of both the Carolina East and Carolina West Districts. As Captain, Sneha has led her school team to win the Debate School of Excellence Award at NCFL Grand Nationals. The moments Sneha cherishes most are giving her novices pep talks before their first round, filming chaotic tournament vlogs to build team spirit, or sitting on classroom floors after rounds, laughing and reflecting with the people she just debated alongside. She has found her voice not just behind the podium, but in the moments that remind her why she speaks and leads by creating community. Beyond her school, Sneha creates free resources for novice debaters through Equality in Forensics. She also teaches public speaking at the North-South Foundation, a non-profit organization where she donates the proceeds to fund educational scholarships for underprivileged students. On the Student Leadership Council, she is passionate about continuing to make debate more accessible. Sneha believes that debate is more than a competition; it’s a place where every voice, no matter their background, should be welcomed and empowered. She is incredibly excited to give back to the community that has shaped her into the leader, learner, and advocate she is today. When she’s not debating, Sneha is a self-proclaimed cinephile who loves swimming, curating playlists, taste-testing new boba flavors with friends, and spending time with her family.

Luke is a rising senior at Collegiate School in New York City. He started debate in eighth grade, and has since qualified to the Tournament of Champions in Public Forum and both NDCA Nationals and NSDA Nationals in Policy. Passionate about language, Luke studies Spanish, Latin, and Ancient Greek, and serves as editor-in-chief of his school’s Spanish and Classics journals. Luke co-founded his school’s Political Union, a club focused on civil discourse in politics. In his free time, Luke enjoys biking and eating around the Big Apple. Luke is excited to join peers from around the country on the SLC!

Gabriel Lopez has been involved in Speech and Debate since freshman year, mainly competing in Lincoln-Douglas, placing in multiple regional tournaments, twice qualifying for the National Catholic Forensic League Grand National Tournament, and is currently a top-50 Florida Lincoln-Douglas debater. Passionate about making debate more accessible, Gabriel co-founded his school’s middle school debate program and helps lead the broader debate community at his school, serving as captain.

Outside of debate, Gabriel is deeply committed to art, advocacy, and entrepreneurship. He is a founding member of See Us Now, a national foster care advocacy organization, and has worked on national legislative initiatives like the Find and Protect Foster Youth Act. He also co-founded EcoVision, a med-tech company that partners with institutions to improve mental health through virtual nature therapy.

Gabriel’s dedication to service has earned him the Presidential Gold Service Award three times and taken him from speaking at the First Global Ministerial Conference on Ending Violence Against Children, hosted by organizations like WHO and UNICEF, to interning for Councilman Luis Viera’s office and creating OpportuniTree, an AI platform intended to help underserved students find extracurricular opportunities. Gabriel is also the recipient of multiple regional, state, and national art awards. His artwork displays his passion for solving structural inequality issues in society.

Gabriel looks forward to contributing to the Student Leadership Council by expanding inclusivity in debate, mentoring new debaters, and helping small-school and underrepresented students find a welcoming home within the NSDA community.

Alex is a senior at The Bear Creek School in Washington. Growing up in Japan before moving to the U.S. in sixth grade, Alex found speech and debate to be a meaningful way to build his English skills and speaking confidence. He began competing in Impromptu as a freshman, becoming a state finalist, and expanded into Informative and Impromptu in his sophomore year, where he was a district finalist in Informative and qualified to state in both events. This past year, Alex had the opportunity to compete at Nationals with the Puget Sound Worlds team, where he discovered a passion for debate—especially World Schools Debate. Over the summer, Alex and his teammates successfully advocated for Worlds to be added as a local event in their district. Going into junior year, he founded and led a Worlds team at Bear Creek, helping his team place third at the Washington State tournament and personally earning the title of World Schools Debate Speaking Champion. He was also a state finalist in Informative Speaking. Outside of speech and debate, Alex is a competitive speedcuber, currently ranked first in Washington State, among the top 10 in North America, and top 25 in the world. He also founded Moshixel, a company that creates large mosaic art out of Rubik’s cubes. Having experienced firsthand the transformative power of speech and debate, Alex is excited to join the SLC and looks forward to helping others find the same love for speech and debate that has shaped him.

Marcus began his speech and debate journey during his freshman year of high school, after mistakenly stumbling upon his team’s bake sale and deciding to give it a shot. Since then, he’s become deeply immersed in all things speech and debate. Now serving as the Co-Captain of his school’s team, Marcus leads with passion and enthusiasm both in and out of rounds. His main event is Program Oral Interpretation, where he has earned two state championship titles and made history as the first student from his school to qualify for the NSDA National Tournament, ultimately advancing to the quarterfinal round. While he proudly identifies as an “interp guy,” Marcus also enjoys the analytical challenge of extemporaneous events such as impromptu. Outside of speech, Marcus is a dedicated student-athlete on his school’s track and field team and has starred in numerous lead roles with his school’s theater company, blending his love of performance with athletic discipline. As a member of the Student Leadership Council, Marcus is excited to bring energy, warmth, and a strong sense of community. He is committed to helping more students experience the same growth and belonging that speech and debate has offered him.

Addilyn has been competing in Speech and Debate since her freshman year of high school and has particpated in her teams leadership since then. She mainly competes in Original Oratory, Extemporaneous Speaking, and World Schools Debate. She has qualified to the NSDA national tournament in both World Schools Debate and Original Oratory and is the 2025 Idaho State Champion in Extemporaneous Speaking. Outside of debate, Addilyn participates in her local Mayors Youth Advisory Council and is an advocate for civic engagement. She is so excited for the opportunity to give back to the community that has given her a voice and hopes to help empower students in the same way the NSDA has empowered her.

Jana Schodzinski is a senior at Wheeling Park High School in Wheeling, West Virginia. She is the current president and former squad captain of extemporaneous speaking of the WPHS speech and debate team. She is a six time state finalist and the 2025 state champion of extemporaneous speaking and congressional debate. She is also ranked first in the state of WV in extemporaneous speaking. She’s a two time qualifier for the Extemporaneous Tournament of Champions, and a two time competitor at the Tournament of Champions. She is also a dedicated member of Equality in Forensics, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the expansion and accessibility of forensics to all communities, especially those at a socio-economic disadvantage. Outside of forensics, she is an avid thespian, singer, founding president of the WPHS chapter of Youth Leadership Association, and member of the National French Honor Society and National Honor Society.

Madeline is a senior at Gwynedd Mercy Academy High School and has been involved in Speech and Debate since her freshman year, now serving as a Captain of her school’s team for her second year. She has competed in many events over the past four years, with her main events now being Extemporaneous Speaking and Impromptu. Notably, as a sophomore, Madeline was the 2024 NSDA National Champion in Impromptu and a semifinalist in Commentary. Madeline also championed the 2025 Pennsylvania State Championship Tournament in Extemporaneous Speaking as a junior and the first female to win the event since 2008. Outside of Speech and Debate, Madeline serves as a member of the Leadership Team for DemocraShe, a national nonprofit dedicated to empowering female-identifying high school students to become future elected leaders. Additionally, she is a Girl Scout Ambassador and Girl Delegate for the Girl Scouts of Eastern PA. In her free time, Madeline loves all things outdoors including backpacking, canoeing, and rock climbing. She is so excited to join the Student Leadership Council and cannot wait to help make positive change within the NSDA!

Saniya has been competing in speech and debate since she was in seventh grade. She competes in Public Forum, Duo Interpretation, Oral Interpretation, and Extemporaneous Speaking, and is a three-time NCFL Nationals qualifier. She serves as both the president and Public Forum captain of her team, and loves mentoring novices and meeting new people. Outside of tournaments, Saniya spends her summers volunteering as an English teacher at a rural school in Pakistan, where she introduced debate sessions for girls to help spark confidence and critical thinking. Saniya is incredibly passionate about civic engagement and serves as a youth advisor to her local government, a Girl Scout Ambassador, a political campaign intern, and the founder of an international think tank focused on public policy. When she’s not debating, Saniya loves traveling, trying new foods, listening to music, and hiking. She’s excited to serve on the Student Leadership Council and looks forward to helping more students from underserved communities find their voice in speech and debate!

John Otto is a freshman at the University of Missouri–Columbia, pursuing a double major in Business Administration and Economics. In high school, John competed in Congressional, Lincoln-Douglas, and Extemporaneous Debate. Most recently, he was a finalist in Congressional Debate at the 2024 National Tournament.

In 2023-2024, John was a member of the inaugural Student Leadership Council (SLC). During his tenure, he authored articles for Rostrum, created content for Ozark District and NSDA social media, and co-developed criteria for selecting future SLC officers. Additionally, he contributed to resource development aimed at improving support for members.

He now serves as a mentor for the SLC, guiding student leaders as they lead national projects, develop outreach strategies, and grow as NSDA advocates. John believes empowering young voices is essential to shaping a more inclusive, impactful, and innovative NSDA.

Outside of speech and debate, John is involved in marketing research exploring how fashion model diversity influences consumer behavior. In addition, he serves as a representative of the University of Missouri as a part of the Stamps Scholars program. He is also involved in student government and a member of Alpha Kappa Psi.

In his free time, John enjoys playing tennis, following Formula 1, and exploring new cuisines. He looks forward to advancing the SLC’s mission to inspire and equip the next generation of student leaders!