Our team is made up of exceptional debaters, coders, and more.
Founders & Presidents
Co-Founder
Ellie Mui
Ellie Mui is a passionate debater who has won multiple titles, including first place at UC Berkeley and third place at UCLA in Parliamentary debate. She thrives best in competitive settings, where her sharp thinking and strong communication skills stand out. Beyond debate, Ellie enjoys reading novels and playing badminton with her brother.
Notable Achievements:
1st Place in the Berkeley International High School Parliamentary Debate Invitational in Parliamentary Debate (2024)
1st Place in the 14th Annual California State in World Schools Debate (2024)
2nd Place Debater & 5th Place Individual Speakers in Cal Parli (UC Berkeley) Invitational in Parliamentary Debate (2024)
Co-Founder
Amanda An
Amanda An started her Public Speaking journey in 3rd grade, where she tried Speech through Storytelling and Impromptu. Within a year, she placed 1st place twice in both formats. Later on, she tried debate through Parliamentary and World Schools Debate (WSD), placing multiple times in national and international tournaments. Outside of debate, Amanda likes to read philosophy books and go on walks.
Notable Achievements:
1st Place in 14th Annual California State in World Schools Debate (2024)
2nd Place in Malaysia’s JWSDC in World Schools Debate (2024)
3rd Place in Harvard Debate Council International Championships in World Schools (2025)
Chief Technology Officer
Ethan Shu
Ethan Shu is a front-end developer with experience in delivering responsive, user-friendly websites for various organizations. He's familiar with sites such as Squarespace and WordPress. Moreover, he understands HTML and Javascript. At APYS, he guides the organization's digital strategy, making sure the site remains optimized, secure, and true to the team's vision.
Program Development Head
(Philosophy Clubs)
Rahsaan Simon
Rahsaan Simon is a passionate philosophical essayist who enjoys reading books and news articles, as well as hearing others’ perspectives. He has self-published essays and articles of political opinions, additionally hosting a weekly blog on the benefits of philosophy in the modern political landscape. Outside of philosophy, he enjoys walks in nature, watching movies, and hanging out with friends.
As Program Development Head, he focuses specifically on APYS’s Philosophy Clubs by coordinating outreach to start new club chapters and guiding the clubs’ growth.
Program Development Head
(Peninsula Pathways Debate)
Katya Chikanov
Katya Chikanov is a competitive debater with over three years of experience in World Schools, Parliamentary, and SPAR/Impromptu formats. She has earned recognition at tournaments such as the Stanford Invitational and NSDA Nationals. Katya has also served as a club president and instructor, strengthening student structure and confidence while working with debate programs at other institutions. Outside of debate, she enjoys tennis, pickleball, and classic films.
Notable Achievements:
1st Place at the Stanford Invitational in World Schools Debate (2025)
Co-Champion at the CHSSA Middle School State Championship (2024)
Semifinalist and 3rd Place Individual Speaker at the NSDA Middle School Nationals (2025)
Debate Coach
Arya Khajuria
Arya Khajuria is a knowledgeable debater with expertise of over 2 years in specifically Public Forum. She has pursued several forms of speech and debate over the past four years, honing her confidence and speaking skills, even touching upon Congressional Debate. Apart from debate, she enjoys programming with her robotics team and playing volleyball during her leisure time.
Notable Achievements:
Gold in the NOF Sapphire Tournament in Lincoln-Douglas (2025)
Quarterfinalist & 2nd Place Individual Speakers in the Philhistorian invitational Bay Area Championship in Public Forum (2025)
4 Years of Experience in various Speech and Debate Formats
Debate 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
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 Extem (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)
Debate Coach
Nicholas Torres
Nick Torres is an experienced debater with three years of competitive involvement in both Public Forum and World Schools Debate, with particular strength in Public Forum. As the Public Forum captain at his school, he has developed strong leadership and strategic thinking skills while guiding his team through high-level competition. Beyond debate, Nick enjoys staying active by playing football and basketball in his free time.
Notable Achievements:
2x Champion of Wakefield Flying L Invitational Tournament in Public Forum Debate (2024, 2025)
Champion of Western Cat Claw ClassicW in World Schools Debate (2025)
3rd Place at National Suninvitational Tournament in Public Forum Debate (2025)
Debate Coach
Sunay Miduthuri
Sunay started speech and debate through speech (interpretation) in fifth grade. Throughout his career, he has done various events raging from speech (interpretation) to debate formats like Spar, Public Forum, and Lincoln-Douglas. Outside of speech and debate, he enjoys math, coding, soccer, and music.
Notable Achievements:
Champion in Cherry Invitational in Public Forum (2025)
3rd Place in West Valley Invitational in Public Forum (2024)
6-0 Prelim Record in TOC Digital in Public Forum (2025)
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
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)