Debate taught me how to think and communicate clearly and opened my mind to a world of ideas that no other activity ever did. I can’t imagine a better way to pay that gift forward than to support the NSDA’s effort to reach more kids with debate and reach them earlier. This effort will change lives.

Debate catalyzed who I am today. My coach saw a far better future for me than I saw for myself, and she helped me discover passion and potential I never knew I had. My friends from debate are friends for life because we share a cultivated love of learning and a comfort with confronting hard questions together that began in earnest decades ago. The NDSA and related organizations create opportunities for students from all over the country to connect with themselves (and each other) in ways that will profoundly and positively impact their futures. This is why I am honored to serve as an ambassador for the NSDA and have increased my support of the activity to further its future.

The most important part of high school is finding the people who share your interests and passions. For me, that was speech and debate. I spent many of my high school weekends competing and laughing with people who were just like me, on a diverse circuit in the late 1980s that included future Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson and actor Idina Menzel. I’m donating to the NSDA so that today’s high schoolers, wherever they may be, can find some of the friends that they will have for the rest of their lives.

Debate taught me more than any class I ever took in college or law school about critical thinking, research and oral advocacy. More than ever kids today desperately need to understand that solutions to the world’s problems are not black and white, but involve nuances of gray, something that debate teaches in spades. I am honored to give back to the NSDA so more kids around the country are exposed to the transformational benefits debate provided me.

As soon as I heard about what the NSDA is doing to make sure more students get the experience I had, the decision to be an Ambassador for the National Speech & Debate Initiative was easy. My experience should not be the exception. My dream is that my children get to grow up in a world where access to speech and debate is the norm

Hosting an alumni fundraiser to support the National Speech & Debate Initiative brought me more joy than I thought possible. Seeing my former students while also helping chart a path for future students is a perfect way to give back to this activity.

Imagine a world where every student finds their voice and confidently engages with society’s greatest challenges.

The NSDA is uniquely positioned to take on challenges that other national organizations aren’t structured to address. Their people and innovative leadership set a standard that is hard to match.

Ask any coach who has gone through their training—it’s truly state-of-the-art, pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in education. Their vision plays a vital role in expanding speech and debate opportunities across the country, and they have the expertise and dedication to make it happen.

If the NSDA could reach every school across the nation, the impact would just blow up. It would be amazing!