Our dedicated coaches earn international, national, and state placements, making them the best among the world.
Speech Coach
Abharika Gurung
Abharika is an experienced speaker, having participated in speech and debate for over four years. Ever since delivering her first Extemporaneous speech in seventh grade, she has fallen completely in love with the event. Throughout her first couple of years, she championed many regional and state tournaments and got involved in other speech events like Duo Interpretation and Original Oratory. In her spare time, she practices a wide variety of martial arts, ranging from traditional karate to sports taekwondo.
Notable Achievements:
Champion in MS North Carolina State Tournament in Extemporaneous Speaking (2024)
2x Champion in NC MS Sandhills County Tournament in Extemporaneous Speaking (2023-2024)
3rd Place in DSDL 1 Pinecrest Tournament in Duo Interpretation (2025)
Debate Coach
Anay Mehta
Anay Mehta is an enthusiastic debater who has been involved in competitive speech and debate for three to four years. He currently competes in Novice Public Forum, developing skills in argumentation, critical thinking, and public speaking. Outside of debate, Anay enjoys staying active by playing basketball with friends and spending time outdoors. He also likes playing video games such as chess.
Notable Achievements:
3rd Place Individual Speakers in Fremont Debate Academy International Tournament in Debate
1st in Dublin Debate Showdown in Parliamentary Debate
1st in Quarry Lane Invitational in Public Forum
Debate Coach (Manhattan Chapter)
Eloise Snodgrass
Eloise is an accomplished debater who has competed in Public Forum for the past three years. Through debate, she has developed an effective, repeatable research process and source analysis. Recognized for her public speaking and delivery during debates, she teaches students how to think faster on their feet and sharpen their verbal delivery skills. Outside of debate, she enjoys participating in Classics tournaments and playing with her two cats.
Notable Achievements:
Semifinalist in Nationl Speech and Debate Season Opener & State Classic in Public Forum (2024)
#1 Prelim Seed in 39th Annual Stanford Invitational in Public Forum (2025)
Top 10 Speaker in TOC Digital Speech & Debate Series 3 in Public Forum (2026)
Debate Coach
Austin Jin
Austin has 2+ years focusing on Public Forum debate. On his third tournament, he became the only person to place on the podium twice—once for his debate performance and once for his speech performance. Besides debate, he enjoys studying chess in his free time.
Notable Achievements:
Co-Champion, Undefeated & 3rd Place Individual Speakers in Stephan Stewart Memorial Invitational in Public Forum (2024)
Co-Champion in Marist Ivy Street Invitational in Public Forum (2024)
Semifinalist in Cal State Fullerton MS and HS Online Invitational in Public Forum (2024)
Debate Coach (Santa Clara Chapter)
Sophia Cai
Sophia Cai is a dedicated competitor with experience primarily in Public Forum. Through debate, she has developed strong critical thinking skills, greater confidence in speaking, and the ability to voice her opinions, qualities she hopes to bring to all of her students. When she is not debating, she enjoys competing in robotics competitions and participating in mock trial tournaments, where she can further hone her public speaking skills.
Notable Achievements:
Quarterfinalist of Philhistorian Invitational Bay Area Championship in Public Forum Debate(2024)
2 years of experience in Public Forum
Top 20 Individual Speaker in Philhistorian Invitational Bay Area Championship in Public Forum Debate (2024)
Debate Coach (Manhattan Chapter)
Sophia Rodriguez
Sophia is an avid debater with three years of experience in Public Forum. She currently competes on the national varsity circuit and loves meeting new teams. Through debate, she has had the opportunity to mentor middle schoolers in her community, getting to know their interests and advising them on speaking technique as well as argumentation. Outside of debate, she continues her commitment to empowering youth by coaching soccer and mentoring incoming students at her school.
Notable Achievements:
#1 Prelim Seed & Top 25 Individual Speaker in 39th Annual Stanford Invitational in Public Forum (2025)
Semifinalist in National Speech and Debate Season Opener in Public Forum (2024)
Semifinalist in Peach State Classic in Public Forum (2024)
Debate Coach
Rylan Wang
Rylan Wang is a dedicated debater and academic mentor with extensive national and international experience. He has competed in multiple tournaments, contributing to championship teams while mentoring younger students in argumentation, research, and competitive strategy. Beyond debate, Rylan enjoys athletics, community service, and global discussions on diplomacy and public policy.
Notable Achievements:
Champion in Taiwan National Speech & Debate Association (TNSDA) in Public Forum (2025)
4th Place in Taiwan National Speech & Debate Association (TNSDA) in Congressional Debate (2025)
Ranked Top 230 Nationally in Extemporaneous Commentary, National Speech & Debate Association (NSDA) (2025)
Speech Coach (Santa Clara Chapter)
Vibha Gunna
Vibha Gunna has 4 years of experience in public speaking. She has competed in DECA business competitions and has spoken in front of numerous large crowds. She is frequently called back to speak at events. She’s extremely passionate about playing the guitar, loves listening to music, and has a insane obsession with AI and tech.
Notable Achievements:
Spoke at over 50 Arangetram performances in front of 200+ people each time to raise funds for her dance school
Placed 3rd at DECA States and competed at the international level
Spoke in front of multiple city councilmembers as a representative of her district’s youth committee to advocate for and secure funding for a bill
Speech Coach
Chrisel Roche
Chrisel is a dedicated speaker and student leader with experience in competitive speech and debate. She currently serves as Freshman Vice President in her school, where she focuses on representing student voices and helping create a more inclusive and engaging school community. In speech and debate, Chrisel primarily competes in Original Oratory, which has strengthened her skills in advocacy, storytelling, and public speaking. She also has experience in Lincoln-Douglas (LD) debate, which has helped her develop strong analytical thinking and value-based argumentation. Beyond speech and debate, Chrisel is deeply passionate about social justice and student leadership. She is actively involved in the student council and cares about creating spaces where all students feel represented and heard. In her free time, she enjoys reading, primarily mystery novels.
Notable Achievements:
Finalist in California Coast District National Qualifier in Original Oratory
Semifinalist in Cal Berkeley (UC Berkeley) Invitational in Original Oratory
Fourth Place in California Coast District National Qualifier in Original Oratory
Debate Coach (Santa Clara Chapter)
Vanya Marwaha
Vanya Marwaha is a sophomore with two years of experience in speech and debate, primarily competing in Congressional Debate. She has competed in Speech and Debate as well as FBLA Public Speaking, earning recognition at the regional and state levels and advancing to the national level. Through these experiences, she has developed strong skills in argumentation, research, and public speaking while building her confidence as a speaker. She hopes to share her passion for debate with younger students by making it engaging, approachable, and fun while helping them build confidence and communication skills. Outside of speech and debate, Vanya serves on her local youth commission and enjoys reading and music.
Notable Achievements:
Champion in Taiwan National Speech & Debate Association (TNSDA) in Public Forum (2025)
4th Place in Taiwan National Speech & Debate Association (TNSDA) in Congressional Debate (2025)
Ranked Top 230 Nationally in Extemporaneous Commentary, National Speech & Debate Association (NSDA) (2025)
First Place at FBLA Regionals from the Bay Area in Public Speaking
Sixth Place & Qualified to Nationals at FBLA States for public speaking
Second Place at Owl Invitational for Congress