USA Debate
About USA Debate
Nine members of the National Speech & Debate Association have been selected to represent the prestigious 2016-2017 USA Debate Team after completing a rigorous application process.
“These students are some of the best debaters across our country,” said Executive Director J. Scott Wunn. “We’re excited to watch them embark on an educational experience of a lifetime!”
Throughout the school year, the team will compete in nearly a dozen competitions across the globe from New Orleans, Los Angeles, and Boston to Germany, Croatia, and Argentina before heading to the World Championships in Bali, Indonesia, in August.
New this year, nine underclassmen have been selected to the USA Debate Development Team. This group of underclassmen will train and practice with USA Debate coaches and alumni to learn more about World Schools Debate.
Since 2013, the National Speech & Debate Association has assumed responsibility for the USA Debate Team, choosing the best debaters in the country to represent the United States in international competition.
The USA Debate team features a highly accomplished and dedicated coaching staff. These coaches have deep roots in the content and style of World Schools Debate and work with the team to acclimate the debaters to the event.
The mission of USA Debate is to join the global promotion of free and civil discourse, foster international cooperation and education, as well as demonstrate competitive excellence and national pride.
Questions about USA Debate? Please contact Steve Schappaugh at steve.schappaugh@speechanddebate.org.
More Information
2017-2018 Tentative Calendar – National Team
These are event dates (as best known at this time) and do not include travel dates. Travel dates for international trips add an additional 2-3 days depending on location, while domestic dates add 1-2 days. Events are subject to change. Students will be selected for each event.
September 2017
- 13-17 – Greenhill – Dallas, Texas (mandatory training)
October 2017
- 27-29 – Cornell University – Ithaca, New York
November 2017
- 9-15 – EurOpen – Stuttgart, Germany
- 24-26 – Turkey Training – TBD
December 2017
- 14-17 – Winter Holiday Open – Zagreb, Croatia
January 2018
- 11-16 – Harvard-Westlake/Reagan Library – Los Angeles, California (mandatory training)
February 2018
- Event TBD
March 2018
- 8-10 – International WS Tournament – Ljutomer, Slovenia
- 23-25 – Harvard WS Tournament – Cambridge, Massachusetts
April 2018
- 11-15 – Bluebonnet WS Debate Tournament – Houston, Texas
June 2018
- 16-22 – NSDA Nationals – Ft. Lauderdale, Florida (compete for school if qualified or enter WS division; demo round on June 17 and awards on June 22)
July 2018
- 3-7 – Mandatory Training for the final five – Colorado College – Colorado Springs, Colorado
- 13-27 – WSDC 2018 – Croatia/Slovenia
2016-2017 Tournaments
September 28 to October 2 – training and tournament at Holy Cross School in New Orleans, Louisiana
November 2-9 – EurOpen in Hamburg, Germany
November 26-27 – Turkey Training in Houston, Texas
December 14-19 – Winter Holiday Open in Zagreb, Croatia
January 12-15 – training and tournament at Harvard-Westlake School in Los Angeles, California
January 16 – Public Debate on Education and Civil Rights at Harvard-Westlake School in Los Angeles, California
January 17 – Public Debate on Education and Civil Rights at Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California
February 9-11 – sparring with international teams in Dallas, Texas
February 21-27 – International Round Robin in Singapore
March 23-27 – Harvard WS Tournament, Cambridge, Massachusetts
June 17-25 – competition and training at the NSDA National Speech & Debate Tournament in Birmingham, Alabama
July 9-14 – WSDC practice in Colorado Springs, Colorado
July 27 to August 11 – World Schools Debate Championship in Bali, Indonesia
2014-2015 Highlights
For the latest updates, follow #usadebate on Twitter.
2016-2017
Holy Cross School (New Orleans, Louisiana) – USA Debate closed out the final round of the tournament and placed 1st through 5th. Nikhil Ramaswamy, Nika Gottlieb, and Ellie Grossman closed out the final round with Josh May, Colette Faulkner, and Ella Michaels. Development team member Shreya Agarwala was top speaker.
EurOpen (Hamburg, Germany) – The team of Aditya Dhar, Colette Faulkner, Ellie Grossman, Sarah Lanier, and Ella Michaels reached quarterfinals (top eight). Gaurav Gawankar was 3rd place speaker and Sarah Lanier was 7th place speaker.
Winter Holiday Open (Zagreb, Croatia) – The team of Aditya Dhar, Josh May, Ella Michaels, and Liz Yount placed 2nd at the largest tournament in Europe, losing by a close 4-3 decision in finals. Colette Faulkner, Gaurav Gawankar, Sarah Lanier, and Nikhil Ramaswamy placed 3rd on a 3-2 decision. Speaker awards were won by Colette Faulkner (2nd), Liz Yount (3rd), Nikhil Ramaswamy (13th), Sarah Lanier (15th), and Ella Michaels (16th).
Harvard-Westlake (Los Angeles, California) – USA Debate teams placed 1st through 4th. Those included eight members of the national team and three members of our development team (Piper Doyle, Shreya Agarwala, and Jordan Hershman) who were undefeated at the event. Liz Yount was 1st place speaker, Ella Michaels was 2nd place speaker, and Ellie Grossman was 3rd place speaker.
Public Debates about education and civil rights were held at Harvard-Westlake School and at The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and featured eight of the national team members.
2015-2016
2014-2015
- USA Debate Team Closes Out World Schools Debate Tournament in Slovenia (March 30, 2015)
- Members of USA Debate Selected to Compete in World Schools Debating Championships (March 27, 2015)
- Harvard-Westlake School in Los Angeles, California/Minneapolis, Minnesota (January 12, 2015)
2013-2014
Join the USA Debate Team
Stage One applications are now closed. Semifinalists were emailed a link to the Stage Two application form.
Application Schedule for 2017-2018 (revised):
Stage One – April 4 through June 1: First wave of applications (includes signature sheet and video task)
Stage Two – June 29: Semifinalists notified (new video task assigned and due back by July 9 at 11:59 p.m. CT)
Stage Three – July 24: Finalists notified (interviews for finalists to occur August 15, 16, 17, 21, and 22)
Important Application Reminders
USA Debate Signature Sheet
Before beginning the online application process, students should download the two-page form called “USA Debate Signature Sheet.” You must complete and sign this form in addition to collecting signatures from your Parent/Guardian, Coach/Advisor, and Principal/Administrator. Once you have gathered all signatures, please UPLOAD it on the last screen of the online application form.
Stage One: Video Task
Students should also prepare an 8-minute speech responding to the motion, “This House would institute a robot tax.” The student can be Side Government OR Side Opposition. It should be the first speech for either side. You will be asked to copy/paste the unlisted YouTube video URL during the online application process.
Stage Two: Video Task
Students should submit a 4-minute video of a Reply speech (choose Prop or Opp) on the motion: “This House supports restrictions on free speech to combat the rise of right-wing populism.”
Students should brainstorm the arguments that would be run on each side before preparing the Reply speech of their choice. At the beginning of the video, you have one minute to state your name, the side you are defending, the motion, and a BRIEF listing of the arguments run on each side before proceeding to your Reply.
Click here for helpful tips about creating an unlisted YouTube video.
The USA Debate Team represents the diversity of our nation. The National Speech & Debate Association wants to ensure all students have full access to the opportunities available as they compete for USA Debate, without being limited by individual economic circumstances. Thanks to a variety of supporters like you, the students on the team are given the educational experience of the lifetime. Your tax-deductible gift allows the U.S. to continue to showcase the best and brightest young people to the rest of the world.
If you or your company would like more information about becoming an official sponsor of USA Debate, please contact us.
Sponsorship levels include:
- Competition supplies and materials for one debater
- Training sessions with the USA Debate coaches
- International competition for one student on the team
- World Championship for one student on the team
- International competition for entire USA Debate Team
- World Championship season for entire USA Debate Team
Thank You!
Throughout the school year, Harvard-Westlake School (CA), The Blake School (MN), and Holy Cross School (LA) provide invaluable training opportunities for the USA Debate Team. Thank you for your support!
2016-2017 Team Members
Aditya Dhar
Senior from The Harker School in California
Aditya has been competing in speech and debate since middle school, primarily competing in Congressional Debate, and has been a captain of his school’s debate team since his sophomore year. Some of his competitive accomplishments include being a three-time semifinalist at the Tournament of Champions, placing fifth at the NCFL Grand National Tournament, placing third at the Yale Tournament, and being the runner-up at the Stanford and Berkeley Tournaments. Outside of speech and debate, Aditya is an avid performer and researcher and is active in his school’s National Honor Society chapter. Aditya is also interested in politics and recently volunteered at California Attorney General Kamala Harris’ campaign for U.S. Senate.
Colette Faulkner
Senior from Kingwood High School in Texas
Colette has been an active member in speech and debate since her sophomore year. She competes primarily in Public Forum, Extemporaneous Speaking, and World Schools Debate. Colette has qualified to the Texas Forensics Association State competition in Public Forum three years in a row. As a sophomore and junior, she qualified for NSDA Nationals in World Schools Debate. Her junior year she placed fifth at the 2016 Nationals and received seventh overall top speaker. Colette also served as the alternate for the 2016 USA Debate Team and competed with the team at the Harvard-Westlake Tournament and the Pan American tournament in Canada. Outside of debate, Colette is passionate about advocating for girls’ rights. She is the founder and president of the Girls Learn International chapter at her school, an organization that provides resources for girls in developing nations to receive an education. She also founded a religious studies club that allows for a safe space for productive discourse on different religions. Colette is also a member of the Houston UNICEF Congressional Action Team and a regional president for the Speak Up Initiative. In her free time, Colette enjoys photography and has shot photos for various bands, such as The Mowgli’s.
Gaurav Gawankar
Senior from Kingwood High School in Texas
Gaurav has been active in speech and debate since his freshman year. He competed for two years in Policy Debate, qualifying to the Texas Forensic Association’s State Tournament as a sophomore. Beginning his junior year, he competed in Public Forum and Worlds Schools Debate. In Public Forum, he advanced to quarterfinals at the International Tournament of Champions. In Worlds Schools Debate, he has advanced to elimination rounds and was awarded 10th speaker at the Pan American tournament in Canada and top speaker at the Greenhill Fall Classic. Other than debate, Gaurav is also involved politically, completing a Fellowship on the Ed Gonzalez for Harris County Sheriff’s campaign as well as volunteering on a variety of political campaigns in Houston. He volunteers at the Houston Food Bank and the Rosemont Assisted Living Center, is a member of the UNICEF Congressional Action Team, and is vice president of his school’s Math Club. In his free time, Gaurav enjoys reading and spending time with his friends.
Ellie Grossman
Senior from The Blake School in Minnesota
Ellie has debated for The Blake School in Public Forum since her freshman year and has been a head captain since her junior year. Some of her notable competitive achievements include being Minnesota’s junior varsity state champion and top speaker, a varsity state semifinalist, a finalist at the National Debate Coaches Association tournament, the top speaker at the Glenbrooks, the top speaker at the National Debate Coaches Association tournament, the top speaker at the Grapevine Classic, qualifying three times to both the Tournament of Champions and NSDA Nationals, and ranking 12th at NSDA Nationals in 2016. Outside of debate, Ellie has been a member of her school’s social activism organization for three years and has interned under a law professor at UC Irvine where she co-wrote articles on the school to prison pipeline.
Sarah Lanier
Senior from Northland Christian School in Texas
Sarah has been competing in debate since her eighth grade year as a member of the Northland Christian Debate team. Her success in Extemporaneous Speaking includes top 12 at Emory, top 12 at the TFA State tournament, quarterfinals at the Northwestern Tournament of Champions, top six at the University of Texas Tournament, and octafinals at NSDA Nationals in Salt Lake City. Sarah has a background in Lincoln-Douglas Debate and Impromptu Speaking, with successful showings at local and national tournaments; she is also serving as a team captain this year. When she isn’t competing in speech and debate, she serves her school as President of Student Council, is an active member of her school’s tennis team, and is part of the National Art Society.
Joshua May
Senior from United World College-USA in New Mexico
Joshua has been active in speech and debate for five years, competing in Congressional Debate, Lincoln-Douglas, Extemporaneous Speaking, and World Schools. He placed third in World Schools at the National Speech & Debate Tournament while winning eighth speaker overall in 2015. Internationally, Joshua won the 2015 Winter Holidays Open in Zagreb, Croatia, while competing with USA Debate and represented the USA in Germany for the 2016 World Championships. When not competing, Josh delves into politics and economics interning with U.S. Senator Mark Udall and the Grand Junction Economic Partnership while also advising the Colorado State Legislature on water policy as part of the Colorado Youth Advisory Council. He currently attends UWC-USA, an international boarding school in Montezuma, New Mexico, where he captains the school rugby team, edits the school newspaper, and heads Social Capital, a socially responsible wealth management fund.
Ella Michaels
Junior from North Hollywood High School in California
Ella has been active in speech and debate since her freshman year, primarily competing in Congressional Debate. As a freshman, she reached semifinals at the Tournament of Champions and was a finalist at Stanford, the La Costa Invitational, and California State Championships. As a sophomore, Ella championed the La Costa Invitational, reached semifinals at the Tournament of Champions for the second year in a row, and was a finalist at Berkeley, Long Beach, and NSDA Nationals – House. She is currently Vice President of the North Hollywood speech and debate team. Outside of debate, Ella confounded her school’s Model United Nations team, serves as yearbook layout editor, and interns with California State Senator Robert Hertzberg during the summer.
Nikhil Ramaswamy
Junior from Plano West Senior High School in Texas
Nikhil has competed in speech and debate since sixth grade, is a returning member of the USA Debate Team, and an Extemp manager for his school’s speech and debate program. Nik has competed in World Schools Debate, Congressional Debate, Foreign Extemporaneous Speaking, Domestic Extemporaneous Speaking, Public Forum Debate, Impromptu Speaking, and Original Oratory, and has accumulated awards at the local, state, and national levels. Notable finishes include placing first at the GMU Korea International English Speech Competition, fourth in Foreign Extemporaneous Speaking and fifth in Impromptu Speaking at the Texas Forensic Association state tournament, and sixth in the nation in International Extemporaneous Speaking at the 2016 National Speech & Debate Tournament. Additionally, Nik has coached Extemporaneous Speaking and World Schools Debate to his local middle school and high school debate programs. Outside of debate, Nik volunteers for the City of Plano and was accepted to the Plano Youth Leadership Program, where he is now a student advisor to the board of directors and this year’s student class. He has accumulated numerous accolades in music, having played piano for more than 13 years.
Liz Yount
Senior from Harvard-Westlake School in California
Liz is a returning member of USA Debate, is also a varsity Lincoln-Douglas debater, and captain of her school’s World Schools Debate team. She has championed both international and national tournaments, winning the Winter Holidays Open in Croatia in 2015, and placed as both second speaker and quarterfinalist in Slovenia in 2016. Liz was one of the five selected to represent Team USA at the 2016 World Schools Debating Championship held recently in Stuttgart, Germany, and served as team captain in Canada. Domestically she has enjoyed much success beginning her debate career by winning first place at the Woodward Academy First Year National Championships in Lincoln-Douglas Debate, and also winning the first speaker award. Liz has multiple top wins at the Greenhill World Schools Fall Classic, won second speaker at the Harvard College Worlds Invitational, and won first place and top speaker awards in New Orleans, Los Angeles, among others. She has also been professionally published five times, including writing for The Guardian critiquing a presidential debate, along with other USA teammates, and has also written four articles for the NSDA’s magazine, Rostrum, highlighting the USA Debate Team’s progress and travels. As an editor, reporter, photographer for her school’s award-winning newspaper, Liz has also won international and national awards for her journalism work. She also received press being featured as a Top Teen to Watch in an annual LA press competition last spring. Besides being a team captain of her school’s Slam Poetry team, Liz was a finalist in the Get Lit Classic Poetry Slam competition two years in a row. She is also a member of the National Society of High School Scholars. In her spare time, she loves to coach debaters, volunteer for her school’s annual Poetry Festival, and for Operation Gratitude.
2016-2017 Development Team
Shreya Agarwala
Junior from Greenhill School in Texas
Shreya has been competing in debate since her freshman year in Lincoln-Douglas Debate, qualifying for Nationals as a sophomore. She also broke at the Berkeley Tournament and reached semifinals in junior varsity at Apple Valley. As for Worlds Schools Debate, her team won the 2015 Greenhill Classic and she was also top speaker at the Holy Cross School tournament. Outside of debate she is a Girl Scout, enjoys playing the guitar, and has had her artwork shown in exhibitions. She has competed in Science Olympiad and won several awards.
Shreyoshi Das
Junior from Flower Mound High School in Texas
Shreyoshi has been competing in speech and debate at the local, state, and national level since her freshman year, achieving success in Extemporaneous Speaking, Lincoln-Douglas Debate, and World Schools Debate. During her sophomore year, Shreyoshi was champion of both the UIL District 6A and the UIL Region tournaments in Lincoln-Douglas Debate, and qualified to the Texas state TFA tournament in the same event. She was also chosen to participate in the 2015-2016 USA World Schools Debate Invitational held in Salt Lake City, Utah, and advanced to octafinals with her team. Outside of debate, Shreyoshi loves to participate in her school’s choir program and performed in various regional choirs as an underclassman. She is also an active member of the National Honor Society, Student Council, and the Flower Mound Youth Action Council.
Piper Doyle
Junior from Palisade High School in Colorado
Piper has successfully participated in Public Forum, Congressional Debate, Original Oratory, Impromptu Speaking, and World Schools Debate throughout her high school years. She competed at the 2016 Nationals Tournament in Salt Lake City, Utah, in World Schools Debate and was a Public Forum finalist from her region moving to compete at the Colorado State Tournament in 2016 for her high school. Outside of debate, Piper is the founder of TeenTBI, an organization for concussed teens. She is a requested guest speaker for TBI and concussion presentations and the sole student representative on the Traumatic Brain Injury and Concussion Task Force of Western Colorado. Piper is an active member of the National Honor Society and has participated in plays and musicals since the age of four. She spends her free time playing the piano, skiing, cooking, camping, and traveling with her family.
Emily Grantham
Sophomore from Kingwood High School in Texas
Emily has been competing in varsity Public Forum Debate and Extemporaneous Speaking since ninth grade. After attaining success at several local tournaments, she competed at the Harvard National Tournament and began to develop a passion for debating. Over the summer of 2016, she attended Global Debate Symposium where she began her competitive experience with the World Schools format. Outside of speech and debate, Emily is an officer for her Girls Learning International chapter and Science Olympiad club and is an active member of her school’s Spanish and French Club. In her free time, she enjoys sailing and volunteering at her church.
Jordan Hershman
Freshman from Polytechnic School in California
Jordan has been competing in the Middle School Public Debate Program (MSPDP) since the seventh grade. His competitive highlights include placing fifth as a speaker and seventh as a team at the MSPDP Southwest Championship Tournament and finishing fourth as a speaker at the Harvard-Westlake PCDL Open Invitational Tournament. As a seventh grader, during his first year of debate, Jordan placed fourth as a speaker and fifth as a team at the Westridge Tournament and qualified for the MSPDP Championship Tournament. Outside of debate, Jordan is a member of Polytechnic’s volleyball and fencing teams as well as the Black Student Union and Feminist Education Club.
Matthew May
Junior from Palisade High School in Colorado
Matthew has been competing in speech and debate for three years, achieving success in Congressional Debate, Public Forum, Extemporaneous Speaking, and World Schools Debate throughout his freshman and sophomore years. He is a two-time qualifier to the CHSAA Colorado State Tournament, as well as a two-time qualifier to the National Speech & Debate Tournament, competing in United States Extemporaneous Speaking both years. Matthew has been an extremely active member within the Colorado debate community since his first involvement with the activity, helping to run the Middle School Debate League his freshman year, serving as the captain of Extemporaneous Speaking his sophomore year, and currently serving as the captain of his school’s World Schools Debate division. Outside of debate, Matthew serves as the President of Palisade Interact Club, a service club working in conjunction with Palisade Rotary. In the spring, he plays lacrosse for the Grand Junction Tigers.
Leila Saklou
Sophomore from Kingwood High School in Texas
Leila joined debate in ninth grade, and after competing in the Public Forum event at the Harvard National Tournament, quickly became addicted to persuasive speaking. After receiving recognition at several local tournaments, she decided to try the World Schools Debate format at Global Debate Symposium in Colorado Springs, where her true passion for debate was enhanced. Outside of speech and debate, Leila is an active member of her local Girls Learning International chapter, Service Learning Club, and is a French Club officer. At the Texas State French Symposium competition, she received first for Comic art, third for Dramatic Interpretation, and sixth for Poetry. She also works with the Global Soap Project to donate soaps to families in developing countries and raise awareness for easily preventable diseases.
Nicholas Wuthrich
Junior from Polytechnic School in California
Nicholas has been competing in HSPDP, World Schools Debate, and Moot Court since his freshman year. Consistently ranking in top-five teams and as a top-10 speaker, Nick has been a finalist and a top-ranked speaker at the Upland Invitational, St. Margaret’s Tournament, and HSPDP Nationals. In his first year of Moot Court, Nick was a quarterfinalist and 10th place speaker at the Duke Invitational. Additionally, Nick is a champion of the Damus Hollywood Invitational (World Schools) and the Webb Schools Invitational, and has seen success both locally and nationally. When not debating, Nick is the head opinion editor of his school newspaper, a varsity water polo athlete, and president of his school’s French club. Interested in public service, Nick has volunteered for the state senate campaign of Anthony Portantino and the Los Angeles chapter of the Bernie Sanders campaign.
Connor Yu
Junior from The Blake School in Minnesota
Connor is a varsity Public Forum debater and captain of The Blake School Public Forum Debate team. Since starting debate his freshman year, he has achieved success on both the local and national level. Last year, he was Minnesota’s Public Forum Junior-Varsity State Tournament champion and earned first speaker. He also placed third at NDCA Nationals and 12th at NSDA Nationals in the Public Forum division. He has qualified for Minnesota’s state debate tournament as both a freshman and a sophomore. Outside of debate, Connor is an elected member of his school’s student government, community judiciary board, and community service board. He is also president of his school’s chapter of She’s the First, a non-profit organization that raises money and awareness for girls’ education.
Leadership Team
Aaron Timmons
Head Coach from Greenhill School in Addison, Texas
Aaron Timmons is the Director of Debate at Greenhill School in Addison, Texas. He is a lifelong educator and in 2000 was named one of the “top debate coaches of the 20th century” by the National Speech & Debate Association. Aaron has coached multiple state and national champions in both Lincoln-Douglas and Policy Debate, in addition to a National Public Policy Forum Champion. Aaron is one of three coaches with champions in Lincoln-Douglas and Policy Debate and is the only coach in history to have multiple winners in each event. He has taught and/or directed debate workshops and trainings at Harvard University, Stanford University, Northwestern University, and the University of North Texas, among others. Aaron is also the co-founder of the Global Debate Symposium, held at Colorado College in Colorado Springs. He is a member of the National Speech & Debate Association Hall of Fame, Tournament of Champions, and the Texas Forensic Association.
Cynthia Timmons
Team Manager and Assistant Coach from Greenhill School in Addison, Texas
Cynthia Timmons lives in Dallas, Texas, and has been involved in debate for more than 40 years. Retired from 30 years in public schools where she coached dozens of national and state champions while winning numerous coaching awards, she has also served the speech and debate community in national and state leadership positions, in professional development training, and in summer institute work. In addition to coaching, Cindi is also the Team Manager. She is a member of the National Speech & Debate Association Hall of Fame as well as the Texas Forensic Association Hall of Fame. She is actively engaged in promoting the cause of women in debate and teacher professional development. Internationally, Cindi is an elected board member of WSDC, Ltd. and a two-term member of the WSDC Tournament Executive Committee. She has also served the international community on the Motions Committee for 2015. Having previously hosted three National Speech & Debate Tournaments in Dallas, she is preparing to host the best of the United States again in 2019. In her spare time, she loves reading and writing. Most importantly, she is a wife and the mother of two.
Dr. Sandra J. Berkowitz
Assistant Coach from The Blake School in Minneapolis, Minnesota
Sandy Berkowitz is an Assistant Debate Coach at The Blake School in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She has also been a college professor of Communication Studies, where her research interests include the connections between debate and critical thinking, gender and social practices, and critical cultural discourses. Sandy has coached for more than 30 years and is a recipient of the 2015 Minnesota Coach of the Year Award. She has coached at both the high school and college levels and has had award-winning students in Public Forum, Policy, Lincoln-Douglas, and Congressional Debate, as well as Oratory, Extemporaneous Speaking, Informative, and Rhetorical Criticism. Sandy has taught and/or directed at several summer workshops including those at Harvard, Dartmouth, the University of Southern California, and Wayne State University.
Shane Stafford
Assistant Coach from The Blake School in Minneapolis, Minnesota
Shane Stafford is the Director of Debate at The Blake School in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He has coached for more than 30 years in all debate and speech events with multiple national and state champions and finalists in Public Forum, Policy, Lincoln-Douglas, and Congressional Debate as well as Oratory and Extemporaneous Speaking. Shane is the recipient of many awards, including the 2015 Minnesota Coach of the Year. Shane has coached at both the high school and university levels of competitive debate. He has taught and/or directed at several summer workshops, including those at Harvard, Dartmouth, Georgetown, and the University of Southern California.
In Memoriam
Dr. Alfred “Tuna” Snider
Former Coach from the University of Vermont in Burlington, Vermont
Dr. Snider was the Edwin W. Lawrence Professor of Forensics at the University of Vermont. He had degrees from Brown University, Emerson College, and the University of Kansas. He taught courses in debate, argumentation, persuasion, and rhetorical analysis. He was the Director of the World Debate Institute and the Lawrence Debate Union. Dr. Snider conducted formal debate training in more than 40 countries and trained debaters from more than 55 nations. Dr. Snider published six books on debating in the last seven years and during his career edited or wrote more than 50 volumes about debating and for debaters.
USA Debate Alumni
USA Debate Alumni – Class of 2016
Milan Amritraj
University of Southern California
Milan was captain of the 2016 WSDC Team USA and is currently a freshman majoring in Business Administration at USC’s Marshall School of Business.
Julia Lauer
Harvard University
Julia is concentrating in government, with a focus in international affairs and security. She competes on Harvard’s Parliamentary Debate Team and consults for the Harvard College Consulting Group. Over the summer, she coached Congressional Debate for the Champion Briefs Institute and the Institute for Speech and Debate, and will continue to privately coach middle school Parliamentary and Public Forum Debate.
Nikolas Angelopoulos
Stanford University
Anastasios Nikolas Angelopoulos, Team USA 2012-2016, was the valedictorian and president of Polytechnic School and two-time HSPDP national champion. He competed in WSDC Thailand and WSDC Singapore, where Team USA placed 10th. Outside of debate, Nikolas is pursuing a license for his instrument pickup patent (#8993868), writing a musical, and teaching Kenpo Karate. He is now a freshman at Stanford University pursuing a double major in Bioengineering and Music Composition.
Amit Kukreja
Rutgers Business School
Amit currently attends Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey, majoring in finance. Amit coaches Lincoln-Douglas Debate at Success Academy in New York. Outside of debate, he is a member of the investment bankers association at Rutgers.
Sonya Huang
University of Pennsylvania
Sonya debated for all four years of high school and was the vice president of Leland High School’s program in California. She placed second at the 2015 NSDA Nationals in Lincoln-Douglas Debate and fourteenth in 2016. Sonya was one of the final five selected to represent Team USA at the 2016 WSDC in Stuttgart, Germany. She currently studies Economics at the University of Pennsylvania, where she is a business analyst for The Daily Pennsylvanian and competes for the Parliamentary Debate team.
USA Debate Alumni – Class of 2015
Sara Evall
Duke University
Sara plans on designing a Program II Major at Duke University, with a focus on Refugee and Migrant Studies. She is a member of the Duke Debate Team and is involved in research on refugee-related issues on campus.
Abigail Marone
George Washington University
Abigail is a sophomore at the George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs concentrating in international politics and minoring in communications. She is interning at the Republican National Committee and serves on the board of GW’s Parliamentary Debate Society.
Amelia Miller
Harvard University
Amelia is studying Social Studies with a minor in Computer Science. Amelia writes for the Harvard Crimson’s magazine and coaches debate through Harvard College Mentors for Urban Debate.
Nicky Halterman
Oxford University
Nicky is studying Politics, Philosophy, and Economics and enjoys being a member of the crew team.
Mitali Mathur
Georgetown University
Mitali is majoring in International Economics and coaches Lincoln-Douglas Debate at Greenhill School in Texas.
Jasper Primack
Boston University
Jasper is currently studying for a combined Bachelor’s/Master’s degree in political science at Boston University and was the American Parliamentary Debate Association’s 2016 Novice of the Year.
Jane Irons
Yale University
Jane is a sophomore at Yale and is studying Philosophy. She has been selected as a member of the Yale Debate team. She has also recently served as an Intern at Refugees & Immigrants Succeeding in Entrepreneurship and is the COO of The Millennial Institute.
Tiana Menon
Harvard University
Tiana is majoring in Economics and minoring in Government. She will compete as part of Harvard’s Debate Union and will coach at Cambridge Rindge and Latin School in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
SunHee Simon
Stanford University
SunHee is double majoring in Psychology and African & African American Studies. She will be coaching at James Logan High School in California and is involved in coaching schools in the Silicon Valley Urban Debate League. She currently debates for Stanford’s policy team and reached the semifinal round at CEDA in her freshman year of college (2016).
USA Debate Alumni – Class of 2014
Danny DeBois
Harvard University
Danny is a junior studying Social Studies at Harvard University. He competes in British Parliamentary Debate, where he has reached finals of both the North American Universities Debating Championship and the U.S. Universities Debating Championship, in addition to being a two-time outround participant at the World Universities Debating Championship. Outside of debate, he teaches Civics in Boston public schools and is a research assistant for a Harvard professor.
Daniel Garrison
Loyola University
Daniel is a marketing major at Loyola university. He aspires to work his way up the corporate ladder to a CMO corner office. On the debate side, Daniel is currently coaching at The Holy Cross School in New Orleans.
Lily Nellans
Western Kentucky University
Lily is studying Philosophy and International Conflict Studies at Western Kentucky University’s Honors College. She competes on WKU’s national championship forensic team and is involved in reproductive justice issues on campus. Outside of school, she has taught debate in Bosnia and conducted research throughout the Balkans.
Shania Hunt
University of California, Los Angeles
Shania attends UCLA and is majoring in Political Science with a focus on International Relations and minoring in Public Policy. Shania coaches the Harvard-Westlake School in MSPDA, LD, and WSDC and competed at the U.S. national collegiate tournament for UCLA in British Parliamentary Debate. Outside of debate, she is involved in student government, an extra-curricular law program at UCLA, is a legal assistant at Chudacoff, Simon, Cherin & Friedman LLP and does contract work for Goldberg & Associates.