Student Leadership Council
The Student Leadership Council (SLC) is composed of current high school student members of the National Speech & Debate Association who provide feedback and recommendations throughout the year to ensure we are meeting students’ needs.
Council members have a variety of ways to be involved in the organization’s operations, including:
- Providing feedback on NSDA programs, offerings, and initiatives from the student perspective to drive improvements.
- Consulting on the organization’s execution of its mission and vision as it relates to students.
- Helping to create NSDA resources for students.
- Writing for Rostrum magazine.
- Creating content for NSDA social media.
It is not necessary for students to have experience or interest in every area; we welcome applicants with a strong interest in a single area. Please consider recommending students who have skills or interest in one or more of the following:
- Have a passion for shaping the NSDA’s future
- Enjoy leading team practices, peer coaching, or developing resources for your program
- Value collaborating with diverse groups of people
- Have strong writing skills
- Excel in creative problem solving
- Have familiarity with social networking platforms
2026-2027 SLC Selection Process
High school students who graduate in 2027, 2028, or 2029 were eligible for nomination. Coaches could submit nominations by February 15 through a standard online form, which sends a copy to both the national office and the district chair, if applicable. Each district had the opportunity to nominate one member student for consideration. District winners were reported by the district chair by March 1. Each country or U.S. territory also had the opportunity to nominate one student. An NSDA committee reviews international applications to select one nominee from each participating country or territory. International nominations were also due by February 15.
Congratulations to the 2026-2027 nominees! These students were emailed and asked to submit a short video by the end of March explaining why they’d like to be part of the SLC and how they envision contributing in their own words. The final SLC was be selected in April. Students can expect to commit to three to five hours per month for the council.
This is a unique way to influence the organization’s future and an excellent addition to any student’s resume. If you know a student passionate about improving speech and debate, please tell them about this program!
2026-2027 Student Leadership Council
Kumail Askari
La Cueva High School, NM
Kumail Askari Bio
Kumail Askari is a senior at La Cueva High School in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and has been involved in debate since his freshman year of high school. Kumail found himself trying new events and added to a new community of valuable peers who care to express themselves and learn more.
Kumail mainly competes in Policy debate in his circuit and has competed in LD, PF, CX, WSD, CON, HI, USX, and IX in New Mexico. Additionally, Kumail has qualified and competed in the National Speech and Debate Tournament, competing both times in his personal favorite event, World Schools Debate, competing in his sophomore year, making it to the elimination rounds, and competing in his Junior Year. At his school’s speech and debate team, Kumail also serves as his school’s World Schools Debate Captain and Congressional Debate Captain. Outside of Speech and Debate, Kumail participates in Youth and Government and serves as the Chief Justice for his state program and co-president of his school club. As well as being an active competitor in Model UN, and he is the president of the club.
Kumail is thrilled to serve as a Student Leadership Council representative and focus on an emphasis of helping rural schools that are often unable to start school speech and debate programs.
Anna Benjamin
Cary Academy, NC
Anna Benjamin Bio
Anna is a rising senior at Cary Academy in North Carolina. She has participated in speech and debate since freshman year, primarily competing in Extemporaneous Speaking and Impromptu Speaking. From the beginning of her competitive journey, she has loved meeting new people at tournaments and strengthening her ties with a supportive and ever-growing community. She has qualified twice to the U.K. Tournament of Champions and the National Speech and Debate tournament, including placing 7th in Impromptu at NSDA Nationals, and has qualified three times to the NCFL Grand National Tournament. She is a former North Carolina state champion in Impromptu and a two-time state champion in Extemporaneous, and she has reached deep elimination rounds at national tournaments like GMU and Harvard. As the current captain of Extemporaneous & Impromptu speaking at her school, Anna works to get students excited about these two events and expand the presence of speech and debate in her school and community.
Outside of speech, Anna is interested in political science, law, economics, and math. She has volunteered with multiple service organizations to give back to her local community, particularly by encouraging increased civic engagement. She also leads her school’s Math Club and has spent countless hours participating in math competitions and memorizing digits of pi. Outside of these pursuits, you’ll probably find her practicing piano, playing an online game of blitz chess, or watching Avatar: The Last Airbender.
Anna is incredibly excited to join the Student Leadership Council and shape the future of an organization that has supported her throughout her time in high school. She is especially focused on improving forensic opportunities for underserved students and communities. She cannot wait for the 2026-27 school year!
Bratati Chakraborty
Fountain Inn High School, SC
Bratati Chakraborty Bio
Bratati is a rising junior at Fountain Inn High School. She is the student founder and team captain of Fountain Inn’s first speech and debate program under the NSDA. Through failure and discipline, she has worked to expand access and resources for her team. In its first year, she helped lead the program to become Class 4A state champions while mentoring new competitors and building a supportive team culture. She is also the South Carolina state champion in Expository Speaking, a state finalist in Program Oral Interpretation (POI), a two-time HOSA Prepared Speaking state finalist, a TEDx speaker, and a published poet.
Passionate about advocacy and equity, Bratati joined the SLC to help bridge gaps in access for underrepresented and emerging programs. Her interests in public policy and scientific research shape her unique approach to leadership and problem-solving. She is also a 2025–2026 ambassador for The Pad Project, where she works to advance menstrual equity. In addition, she tutors students in her community and serves as an intern with the Fountain Inn Chamber of Commerce.
In her free time, she enjoys listening to music, playing guitar, watching movies, and traveling with her parents. She is excited to represent South Carolina and make a positive impact within the NSDA community!
Adeleine Choi
Lassiter High School, GA
Adeleine Choi Bio
Adeleine is a junior at Lassiter High School in Georgia, and has competed in six different events since middle school. As a former Middle School National Champion in Dramatic Interpretation and a State Champion in Lincoln Douglas Debate, she truly understands all aspects of Speech and Debate. She is dedicated to expanding access to educational resources for students across the country, especially in rural areas. Ranked #2 in Georgia for LD Debate and as Vice President of her team, she helped organize and lead large-scale tournaments with over 300 participants and raised thousands of dollars through fundraisers. While serving as LD Debate Captain, she led her team to State and Districts, resulting in a State Champion. She qualified for the 2026 NSDA National Tournament in Congress and is a three-time national qualifier for Speech and Debate. Adeleine wants to continue exploring all the different aspects of both Speech and Debate and help support her growing team.
Outside of debate, you can see her competing in other clubs, such as Model United Nations, and serving as a member of her County’s Youth Commission. She loves researching new topics and helping others find their own joy in Speech and Debate. Now as a member of the NSDA Student Leadership Council, Adeleine is excited to continue building friendships and uplifting student voices across the country.
Gavin Crayton
David Thibodaux STEM Magnet Academy, LA
Gavin Crayton Bio
Gavin joined Speech and Debate his seventh grade year. Ever since he joined Speech and Debate he has had an unwavering commitment to Speech and Debate. Gavin has competed in a wide variety of events but his most prominent is Program Oral Interpretation. Some of his achievements include Middle School Runner Up in POI in 2023 and 2024, 17th at the 2025 NSDA National Tournament in POI and Champion at Barkley Forum for Highschools for POI. Along with many other local and state achievements. Gavin loves to advocate for others, as well as encouraging people to find their voices. Rather that be fundraising for his team or recruiting new members, Gavin is passionate and at the forefront for everyone to have the opportunity to use their words as power. Gavin believes in programs like Speech and Debate because it brings people together and teaches those how to let loose and find themselves. Gavin has taught events, constructed pieces, and coached his younger teammates. Besides Speech and Debate, Gavin enjoys activities that sharpen his leadership and community skills such as being the Drum Major for his band, playing football, and Student Council. Overall, Gavin is ecstatic to contribute to the NSDA SLC and make his already great community even better.
Colette Crowley
Grand Rapids City High School, MI
Colette Crowley Bio
Colette Crowley has been an avid competitor in Speech and Debate since 7th grade. Colette competes in Public Forum, where she won 3rd Place at the 2025 Michigan Debate State Finals, and Original Oratory, where she recently became Michigan’s 2026 State Champion. She qualified for NSDA Nationals in 2025. As a member of her team’s Leadership Committee, she loves coaching teammates. Colette is currently creating a youth-led initiative, called SPEAK, that aims to empower urban high school students through public speaking. Outside of Speech and Debate, Colette is a Youth Fellow for the Kent County Food Policy Council, where she provides a youth perspective on policies impacting local communities. She uses her podcast, Mixed Media, to provide young people with a platform to share their diverse experiences. In her free time, Colette enjoys playing hockey, practicing the cello, trying dairy-free ice cream, and reading. As a member of the SLC, Colette seeks to expand access to the benefits of NSDA membership by supporting the growth of Speech and Debate teams in urban public school districts like her own. She is so excited to collaborate with such an incredible community!
Shriyan Daggubati
Weddington High School, NC
Shriyan Daggubati Bio
Shriyan Daggubati is a student at Weddington High School in North Carolina and a member of the National Speech & Debate Association’s 2026–2027 Student Leadership Council. He is actively involved in speech and debate, with a strong interest in public policy and civic engagement. Shriyan is the founder of LEAP_4_Youth, a financial and civic literacy nonprofit through which he developed a curriculum now implemented in 30+ schools and reaching over 1,000 students. He also engages in National STEM Advocacy, supporting initiatives that promote student involvement in STEM education and policy awareness. He placed 1st at the state level in DECA, was an International DECA Top 20 finalist, and is a Future Problem Solving International Competition world finalist. He serves on the Union County Library Teen Advisory Board, where he works to expand youth programming and community outreach. In his free time, he plays tennis and enjoys fishing. He is committed to using communication, policy, and education to drive meaningful impact.
Reagan Hall
Bentonville West High School, AR
Reagan Hall Bio
Reagan is a senior at Bentonville West High School, involved in speech and debate since eighth grade. She currently serves as her team’s Vice Captain and as a member of the ACTAA Student Advisory Board. Over the years, she has competed in a variety of events, primarily Duo, HI, Storytelling, and Prose. She is a two-time state champion in Duo, an Arkansas point leader, and an NSDA Academic All-American. On the national circuit, Reagan has competed at UKTOC and the NSDA Tournament as a three-time qualifier.
Outside of speech, you’ll find her exploring dead malls, making TikToks, and thrifting. She seeks out every opportunity to serve her school, which has led her to become president of Feminist Club, as well as a longtime member of Student Council, Circle of Friends, and NHS. Beyond school leadership, her active participation in the Clinton Center Student Leaders Program and her city’s Mayor’s Youth Council demonstrates her passion for civic engagement. Reagan is ecstatic about this opportunity and is ready to represent Arkansas on the national stage.
Joseph Hwang
Newport High School, WA
Joseph Hwang Bio
Joseph Hwang is a junior at Newport High School in Washington, where he serves as co-president and captain of the Speech and Debate team. He primarily competes in World Schools Debate, an event he fell in love with for its collaborative spirit. He is a two-time state champion in Worlds, has earned top speaker awards at multiple tournaments, and has advanced to elimination rounds at the NSDA National Tournament. He has also finaled at the state level in Original Oratory and Extemporaneous Speaking and qualified to the national level in both events.
What Joseph loves most about debate is the community it creates and the way it pushes people to speak with purpose. He helped grow Newport’s Worlds program from the ground up, organized large-scale fundraising tournaments, and co-founded a summer Worlds camp to give students more access to the event. He also coaches at Tyee Middle School, and some of his favorite moments in debate are watching younger students find their voice for the first time.
Outside of debate, Joseph writes for TeenTix Newsroom and his school newspaper, bringing his perspective from debate to a wider audience. As a Korean Heritage Language Ambassador, he helped initiate one of the first Korean dual language programs in Washington and founded and serves as president of his school’s Korean Culture Club. He also sings as a section leader in his school choir.
Through the Student Leadership Council, Joseph hopes to help more students find the same sense of community and belonging that made speech and debate so meaningful to him.
Rahul Iyengar
Colorado Academy, CO
Rahul Iyengar Bio
Rahul is a junior at Colorado Academy in Denver, Colorado. He competes in Public Forum debate, where he where he is a two-time NSDA Nationals qualifier, 2nd Place Colorado State Champion, Colorado District Champion, and earned Premier Distinction of the NSDA Honor Society.
Inspired by his love for debate, Rahul founded and runs the Spanish Speech & Debate Network, a speech and debate access initiative for Spanish-speaking students. Through this, he has engaged schools nationwide, hosted tournaments and workshops, and developed bilingual debate resources and speaking materials. He also leads development of SpeakUp, a bilingual AI-powered speaking coach app.
Outside of forensics, Rahul is a three time elected Student Government representative, a 2nd place National Future City (STEM) finalist, and an Assistant Senior Patrol Leader in Boy Scouts working toward Eagle Scout. In his free time, he enjoys mountain biking, swimming, and playing guitar.
Rahul is honored to serve on the Student Leadership Council and is committed to expanding access, mentorship, and innovation in competitive forensics.
Rishi Jain
Woodward Academy, GA
Rishi Jain Bio
Rishi is a senior policy (CX) debater from Georgia. He has been involved in debate since 8th grade. He is the GFCA Varsity State Champion in policy debate and has consistently reached the elimination rounds of the NDCA National Championships. Rishi is also the First Year National Champion and Second Year National Runner-Up in policy debate. Rishi enjoys giving back by coaching underclassmen at his school and volunteering to judge Middle School debate rounds.
Rishi is excited to serve on the Student Leadership Council to propel accessibility in Speech and Debate.
Outside of debate, Rishi spends his time coding, with a specific interest in machine learning models. He also competes in Science Olympiad, is an amateur chess player, and likes creating circuits and projects with Arduino. Rishi has two stray cats and likes watching Weekend Update by SNL.
Daphne Kalir-Starr
College Prep, CA
Daphne Kalir-Starr Bio
Daphne Kalir-Starr considers herself a speech and debate addict. She has been doing extemp since eighth grade, placing third at the middle school TOC. Over the past year, she has finaled at Bronx, Patriot Games, MLK, Emory, Stanford, Harvard, the California State Championship and TOC. She was also the only sophomore invited to the Montgomery Bell Academy Round Robin, which convenes sixteen of the top extempers in the country.
Daphne’s love for words and language also finds a home in creative writing. She enjoys writing essays, stories, poems and is working on a TV script which may or may not see the light of day. In her free time, you can find Daphne with her nose in a book, lying in the sun with her dog, or holed up watching the latest episode of SNL.
When she’s not competing, Daphne loves coaching beginners in extemp and converting debaters to speech. She is passionate about expanding access to Speech and Debate resources to every student who wants and needs them. She is honored and excited to join the SLC and ready to give back to the community that has changed her life.
Aria Kaul
South Fork High School, FL
Aria Kaul Bio
Aria Kaul is a senior in Martin County, Florida. Her love of speech and debate began in sixth grade. Her favorite event is public forum, though she has also competed in congress and extemporaneous debate. During her sophomore year, she cofounded the debate team at her high school. She learnt a lot during this process, including how to register the team for leagues and circuits, teach events, and handle finances. She advocated to her school’s administration to turn debate into a class, which happened this year. The team started with eight members last year, but now has over 40 participants and over 15 actively competing members, five of whom qualified for nationals.
She developed a website, DebateReadyFL, to share information and resources on starting a team from scratch. As part of the student leadership council, she hopes to expand access to debate for students in rural schools and develop material for teaching events.
Outside of debate, she is the president of her county’s Youth in Government delegation, where she also holds a state officer position. She was also selected to attend the John Hopkins Global Heath Leaders Conference to learn about global health policy. She is a 2026 Sunshine State Scholar, and in her spare time, she volunteers to provide free math tutoring and SAT preparation for students at her school. She also likes to spend time with friends, try new foods, and go to the beach.
Haley Kieper
Stevens High School, SD
Haley Kieper Bio
Haley is a senior at Stevens High School in Rapid City, South Dakota. Since starting speech and debate as a shy sophomore, she has transformed uncertainty into confidence through determination and consistent effort. Over the last three years, she has grown into a dynamic competitor and dedicated leader, competing in a wide range of events including all Oral Interpretation and Individual Events, Congressional Debate, Big Questions, and Public Forum. These experiences have shaped her into both a skilled performer and a thoughtful advocate, balancing technical precision with meaningful storytelling.
She uses her platform to amplify underrepresented voices, advocating for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community, raising awareness about teen drug addiction, and exploring themes of identity and personal growth. For her, speech and debate is more than competition – it’s a space for connection, conversation, and impact.
She has competitive experience at both the state and national levels where she has gained recognition while developing resilience and perspective. As a two-year team captain, she has played a central role in shaping her team’s culture, mentoring younger students, teaching Oral Interpretation and Individual Events, and creating an environment where others feel confident using their voices. She also leads fundraising efforts to increase accessibility and opportunity for her teammates and is known for her reliability and readiness to support others.
Beyond speech and debate, she is actively involved in robotics, serves in a leadership role at her church, and mentors her middle school’s robotics team. She also participates in activities such as rock climbing, choir, theater, beekeeping club, and numerous academic clubs as well.
She is excited for the opportunity to serve on the NSDA Student Leadership Council where she hopes to elevate student voices, promote inclusivity, and strengthen connection across the speech and debate community. She brings not only experience, but a genuine commitment to helping others find their confidence, their voice, and their place within the activity.
Gabriel Lopez
Carrollwood Day School, FL
Gabriel Lopez Bio
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.
Khris Matul Rosales
Hastings Senior High School, NE
Khris Matul Rosales Bio
Khris Matul Rosales is a junior at Hastings High School in Nebraska. He has competed in Congress, Policy, Lincoln-Douglas, and Public Forum, earning more than 1,300 NSDA points and reaching Outstanding Distinction. He became the Nebraska South District Champion in Lincoln-Douglas, marking the first time in more than thirty years that Hastings qualified a student to NSDA Nationals in the event. He has also qualified to the NIETOC in both HI and DUO.
Khris serves as President of NHS, President of Hastings DECA, President of his debate chapter, and State President of Nebraska DECA, qualifying to the International Career Development Conference twice. He coaches across events and helped guide a Policy team to NSDA Nationals through his work in kritik literature, which is his primary academic focus in debate. He also supports new competitors by building systems that make the activity easier to enter and easier to stay in.
Outside of tournaments, Khris participates in the band, playing the guitar and flute. Additionally, he plays tennis, runs track, and participates in quiz bowl, teammates, young voters, and much more.
Michaeline McCreary
Stadium High School, WA
Michaeline McCreary Bio
Michaeline is a rising senior from Stadium High School. She joined speech and debate club sophomore year as a founding member and quickly fell in love with the activity. Going into junior year, she became club president of the student led Club. Despite having no coach, no funding and minimal resources, she and her fellow officers worked together and finally led the club to become an official team. In SLC, she hopes to help smaller schools and underrepresented students with limited resources to find their voice! Creating opportunities for smaller programs and increase the accessibility of speech and debate. Out side of speech and debate, Michaeline is involved in numerous activities at school . She serves as class representative in student council, founding member/ secretary of FBLA club and is an athlete in track. She also volunteers for National Honors Society and key club. In her free time, Michaeline enjoys reading books, sewing, embroidering and anything creative! She also loves going outdoors, traveling, and spending time with friends. Having moved from Taiwan to the US when she was 14, she found Speech and Debate a good way to improve English Speaking skills. Speech and Debate shaped who she is. She is incredibly grateful for the opportunity to join SLC and is excited to give back to the amazing Speech and Debate community!
Sam Moffett
Blue Springs High School, MO
Sam Moffet Bio
I am a junior in Missouri, and as a member of the student leadership council I hope to be able to work to make NSDA more equitable, representative, and accessible! I have experience in both speech and debate, but my favorite event will always be congress, and my nickname will always be Senator Moffett! I’m also involved in TSA, am a youth court attorney, and active in my church, and hope to bring those leadership qualities to the SLC team as well.
Solomon Schwartzman
Charlottesville High School, VA
Solomon Schwartzman Bio
A rising senior at Charlottesville High School, Solly Schwartzman is a student leader, a nationally recognized debater, and an emerging voice in state and local politics. He served as student representative for the Charlottesville City School Board and has been appointed to the City’s Parks & Recreation Advisory Board. As co-president of the CHS debate team, he won the Virginia High School League state championship in Lincoln Douglas debate and reached elimination rounds at both National Speech & Debate Association (NSDA) and National Catholic Forensics League (NCFL) national tournaments. He is co-founder of the Scientific Research Club, which has created internship opportunities with the University of Virginia’s Cancer Center. After volunteering for Abigail Spanberger’s gubernatorial campaign, he founded Students for Fair Elections, which canvassed thousands of voters for Virginia’s redistricting referendum. This summer, after Governor’s School, he is looking forward to interning for Tom Perriello’s congressional campaign.
Lila Sisskind
Emet Classical Academy, NY
Lila Sisskind Bio
Lila Sisskind is a junior who has been doing speech and debate since her freshman year, mainly competing in U.S. Extemporaneous Speaking. She has qualified twice for the NSDA National Tournament and just fell in love with it from the start, quickly becoming one of the top competitors in her district. She loves the way debate pushes her to think more clearly and articulate her ideas. She is also especially interested in big existential and philosophical questions that do not always have clear answers. Outside of debate, she plays classical guitar and reads nonfiction. She enjoys working on tech and business ideas through The Knowledge Society and has had the chance to collaborate with teams like Lovable. She is excited to serve the speech and debate community and help more students get involved!
Melissa Song
Clear Springs High School, TX
Melissa Song Bio
Melissa is a senior at Clear Springs High School who joined Speech and Debate in freshman year. They’ve focused solely on Policy Debate, qualifying for TFA State and UIL State in CX for the past 3 years and qualifying for the TOC in their sophomore year. They’re currently the Debate Captain and work to recruit and increase engagement with the program, leading through both example and service for their peers.
Throughout their high school career, they’ve used tournaments to connect with a wide variety of people and have worked to build the Policy program at Clear Springs High School.
Melissa has loved playing the role of support since day one, from stepping back from national circuits during junior year to focus on mentoring novices to sending support to debaters from other schools.
Outside of the program, they dedicate themselves to STEM fields via NASA’s Biomedical HUNCH program, reaching national qualification with their team to advocate for nutritional solutions to prevent illnesses like kidney stones during long-term space travel. They also heavily value the arts, whether it’s creating art, competing yearly in studio art with VASE, volunteering for the Bayou City Art Festival in Houston, or reading poetry in their free time. They highly value community and strongly believe that a welcoming community can make for an accessible activity, which is why they are so incredibly grateful for this opportunity to join the NSDA Student Leadership Council and are looking forward to expanding the reach of NSDA across the nation, especially of Policy debate.
Simon Sung
Niskayuna High School, NY
Simon Sung Bio
Simon Sung is a rising senior at Niskayuna High School who has been competing in speech and debate since his freshman year. He participates in Public Forum Debate, earning a top ten finish at the New York State championship and qualifying for NCFL Nationals twice. As president of his debate club, he has worked to strengthen his school’s program, rewriting training materials, growing membership, and expanding access to competitive opportunities for club members.
Simon is deeply grateful for the speaking, critical thinking, and communication skills debate has given him, and is passionate about ensuring those opportunities are available to students of all backgrounds. He even authored a graphic novel about his debate journey, hoping to introduce the activity to new audiences.
Outside of debate, Simon is passionate about STEM, competing in competitions, participating in DECA, and playing violin. He is excited to serve on the Student Leadership Council and advocate for equal opportunities for debaters everywhere.
Samson Synn
Canyon Crest Academy, CA
Samsung Synn Bio
An active NSDA member and competitive debater since the 5 th grade, Samson
(“Sammy”) Synn credits speech and debate for helping him find his voice, engage in
civil discourse, and advocate for others. Sammy started debating Public Forum in fifth
grade. He shifted to policy debate in 9 th grade and qualified for and debated in the 2025
NSDA National Tournament in Policy Debate as a freshman/rising sophomore. Sammy
has served as a co-captain of his school’s 100+ member Speech & Debate team since
the start of his sophomore year (fall, 2025).
Sammy is committed to providing transformative speech & debate opportunities and
access to more students. In 2025, Sammy co-founded the San Diego Urban Debate
league, where he serves as CEO and is focused on outreach and curriculum
development.
Sammy Synn has been recognized for his lifelong commitment to community service.
Sammy is a 4-time Carson Scholar (selected for both academic achievements and
community service impact). He is a 4-time President's Volunteer Service Gold Award
recipient (2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024) and has earned multiple Congressional Awards
(2025).
In addition to speech & debate, Sammy Synn is passionate about Humanities and is a
member of the Envision Conservatory for the Humanities. Sammy loves classic rock
and is a self-taught guitarist (both acoustic and electric). He is currently starting a new
band. Sammy is a student of the written word as well as the spoken one. He dedicates
much of his free time to creative writing and has won numerous prestigious writing
awards. Sammy plans to publish his first novel in the summer of 2026.
Sofie Vaughn
Saint Cecilia Academy, TN
Sofie Vaughn Bio
Growing up in Indonesia and China and having travelled to 25+ countries, experiencing a wide variety of cultural immersion, landscapes, and social norms first led me to pursue debate, at least in an informal sense. I have always loved a good, thoughtful discussion with people who have different backgrounds, ideas, or opinions than me. Since I moved to the United States 3 years ago, I have competed in Public Forum, Policy, and Big Questions Debate. Attending a small all-girls school with little debate experience, I have taken the initiative to practice with the highly competitive policy debate team at the all-boys school across the street and teach myself how to compete in Big Questions at the varsity level. I hope to help initiate similar opportunities for other under-resourced schools!
Outside of debate, I am deeply invested in astrophysics and astronomy. I’m invested in our universe’s biggest ethical questions, and in a similar way also profoundly interested in its biggest scientific mysteries.
This has led me to pursue research in this field with topics such as black holes, supernovae, relativity, etc. I also enjoy sharing this passion with others, especially with underprivileged children by assisting Vanderbilt University telescope nights and offering space demonstrations at my local museum and after-school care organizations.
In both contexts, speech and debate teach us to pursue truth, express ideas clearly, and engage thoughtfully. In a divided world, these skills matter more than ever, and I hope to strengthen them with my election onto the Student Leadership Council!
Alexa “Azzy” Xiang
Dublin Jerome High School, OH
Alexa "Azzy" Xiang Bio
Azzy is the Lincoln-Douglas Captain at Dublin Jerome High School and a prominent voice in the national speech and debate community, having competed for three years. A five-time NSDA and one-time NCFL qualifier across 5 debate categories, she recently placed 4th in the state of Ohio for Lincoln-Douglas debate and is one of few students that accumulated six local circuit bids this season. Beyond the podium, Azzy serves as the Media Director for Equality in Forensics, spearheading outreach initiatives that reach over 160,000 students monthly and news publications rated higher by Ad Fontes than outlets such as NBC, Wall Street, Forbes, and NPR. As an aspiring chemical engineer, she bridges the gap between technical research and public policy through her roles as a project manager at ThinkNeuro, where she leads 600 interns in research on drug delivery and systems optimization, and as a lead researcher at the MIT Laboratory of Computational Physiology, publishing high-impact medical engineering work. Her previous work with the Harvard OpenBio Laboratory focused on combining technical ideas with making scientific research more transparent, and her work was disseminated at five national conferences to advance open science. Her commitment to accessibility is further emphasized in her leadership of Bird2Branch, a STEM and bird conservation initiative providing educational experiences for 75,000 students, and her advisory role with the Scratch Foundation, where she runs science events and works on improving Scratch, the world’s most used block-based programming language. In her free time, Azzy enjoys drawing, worldbuilding, creative writing, and she is eager to apply her diverse expertise to the Student Leadership Council to advocate for the NSDA community!
Hannah Yang
Harvard-Westlake School, CA
Hannah Yang Bio
Hannah Yang is a rising junior from Los Angeles, California. She has been competing in speech and debate since second grade, participating in events ranging from Informative Speaking and Dramatic Interpretation to Congressional Debate. With over 14 TOC bids across her high school career and two consecutive double qualifications to NSDA Nationals, speech and debate have helped Hannah find her voice and build lasting confidence in public speaking. Through leading her middle school team and currently co-leading her high school team, Hannah is passionate about lifting up her peers and fostering an inclusive, growth-oriented community. As a member of the NSDA Student Leadership Council, she hopes to further that mission—empowering students across the country to discover their own voices. In her free time, Hannah enjoys listening to Tame Impala and making pottery.
Student Leadership Council Mentor
John Otto
John Otto Bio
John Otto is a sophomore at the University of Missouri–Columbia, where he studies Finance and Economics as a Stamps Scholar. A former member of the inaugural National Speech & Debate Association Student Leadership Council (SLC), John contributed to Rostrum, supported district and national social media initiatives, and helped develop selection criteria for future student officers.
He now serves as an SLC Program Manager, mentoring student leaders as they design national projects, expand outreach, and represent student voices across the NSDA community. John is passionate about leadership development and believes that empowering students through communication fosters inclusion and innovation.
Beyond speech and debate, John serves as a Student Ambassador to the University of Missouri Board of Curators and as a Healthcare Analyst for the AACE Venture Fund. He also conducts marketing research examining how fashion model diversity influences consumer behavior and is involved in Alpha Kappa Psi, the Cornell Leadership Program, and the University of Missouri Investment Group.
In his free time, John enjoys playing tennis, following Formula 1, and exploring new cuisines. He looks forward to continuing to advance the SLC’s mission to inspire and equip the next generation of student leaders.
2024-2025 Student Leadership Council
