Coming Soon
Vivian Yellen
Executive Director
Hi! Im Viv (she/her) and I co directed NOVA in 2022 and will be overseeing camp this year. I debated myself for four years at The Bronx High School of Science in New York City. As a competitor, I placed 10th at Nationals in 2021, and reached octofinals at both the 2022 Grand Nationals and the 2022 Gold TOC, receiving three separate TOC auto-qualifications. In addition, I have received gold bids at tournaments such as Glenbrooks, Harvard, and Durham. I love to come up with creative case strategies, and help students with developing skills in weighing and round vision. I also have experience in theory and other more progressive forms of argumentation.
Evan Burkeen
Evan Burkeen
Executive Director
Hey! I’m Evan (he/him), and I was one of the Co-Directors for NOVA 2022, and this year I will be overseeing administration. I am a rising first-year at Yale University, and during high-school, served as President on the American Heritage Speech & Debate Team. In my career, I’ve qualified to FFL, NSDA, and TOC, and reached deep outrounds at tournaments such as Yale, Sunvite, and Emory. I enjoy all types of debate, ranging from lay to progressive. This is my fourth year at NOVA, and I’m excited to see y’all this summer!
Sienna Vaughn
Sienna Vaughn
Co-Director
Sienna is a rising senior at Flintridge Preparatory School in La Cañada, California. She started debate in 4th grade and public forum in 7th, qualifying to TOC and NSDA Nationals her freshman, sophomore, and junior year. She has accumulated 22 career bids in just 3 years. Her and her partner went 7-0 in Gold TOC prelims, got 3rd place at NSDA nationals, and has reached late elimination rounds at many tournaments such as Glenbrooks, Ivy Street Round Robin, Yale, Berkeley, James Logan, and more. She's been a captain of her schools 80-person speech and debate team since freshman year and has lots of experience in teaching public forum. She can't wait for this summer!
Grace Liu
Grace Liu
Co-Director
Grace is a rising senior at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Virginia. She has been debating for three years, during which she has been ranked as high as 17th in the nation, earned 3 bids and reached outrounds at Princeton, the UK Season Opener, Sunvite, Durham, and more, qualifying for TOC and NSDA Nationals as well as winning States her freshman year. As the co-captain of her school’s 100-person Public Forum debate team and a past instructor at NOVA, she has gained lots of experience teaching debaters of all levels. In her free time, she loves listening to music, reading, and watching British detective shows. She is super excited to be directing at NOVA this year!
David Li
David Li
Co-Director
David is a rising senior at Thomas Jefferson High School in Alexandria, Virginia, and he has debated for the past 3 years. This year, he accrued 5 bids, ranked as high as 7th in the nation, and reached outrounds at Bronx, UK Season Opener, Yale, UPenn, and Princeton. David and his partner also previously qualified to TOC and NCFL, and placed top 30 at NSDA Nationals. As the teaching coordinator for TJ Public forum and a returning NOVA instructor, he had a blast mentoring debaters of all divisions, whether it was helping write cases or practicing drills. In his free time, David enjoys going on walks with his Shih-Tzu Cow, listening to music, and playing chess. He is ecstatic to direct at NOVA Debate this year!
Coming Soon
Vivian Yellen
Hi! Im Viv (she/her) and I co directed NOVA in 2022 and will be overseeing camp this year. I debated myself for four years at The Bronx High School of Science in New York City. As a competitor, I placed 10th at Nationals in 2021, and reached octofinals at both the 2022 Grand Nationals and the 2022 Gold TOC, receiving three separate TOC auto-qualifications. In addition, I have received gold bids at tournaments such as Glenbrooks, Harvard, and Durham. I love to come up with creative case strategies, and help students with developing skills in weighing and round vision. I also have experience in theory and other more progressive forms of argumentation.
Sean Wallace
Sean Wallace
I'm Sean! I've been debating for 6 years at Sidwell Friends School in DC, with experience in MSPDP, Public Forum, and Lincoln Douglas. In my two years on the national circuit, I have achieved 11 total bids to the TOC (8 in PF, 3 in LD), as well as championing Stanford (LD), Pennsbury, and SCU. I have experience going for and answering all different sorts of arguments, and am most comfortable helping with traditional policy style debate, kritikal debate, framing, and theory. I'm also comfortable with lay debate and judge adaptation, winning my circuit's regional championship and qualifying to NCFL Grand Nationals. Finally, I have two years of experience working with mentees in both LD and PF and coaching the Sidwell PF team. In my free time I like running and listening to Frank Ocean and JID :) I'm excited to work with you all!
Irene Zhao
Irene Zhao
Irene Zhao debated for four years at Sidwell Friends School in Washington D.C. Across her career, she amassed 7 career bids and cleared at both the TOC and NCFLs, most notably championing Georgetown her senior year. Aside from competing, she has worked closely with novices at her school as a captain and written monthly argument breakdowns through Beyond Resolved. Aside from debate, Irene enjoys sampling different flavors of Goldfish (pumpkin spice Goldfish!) and listening to Maggie Rogers. Irene has taught at NOVA for the past two years, and is excited to return!
Sam Chen
Sam Chen
Hi! I'm Sam Chen (he/him) and I'm a rising senior at Boston Latin School in MA. Throughout my sophomore and junior year, I've obtained 6 bids in PF, qualifying to TOC 2x, NSDA 2x, and NCFLs 2x. I've reached Quarterfinals at Columbia, Semifinals at Lexington, Quarters at Peach State Classic, Quarters at the NCFL, Octos at Milo Cup, and elimination rounds at NSDA. I've also obtained 1st Speaker at the Milo Cup and 2nd Speaker at Sunvite. I've taught at 4 other debate camps, including Nova where I was not only a camper in 2021 and 2019 but an instructor in 2022. This will be my fourth year at Nova and I am so excited! Outside of Public Forum, I am dabbling in some Congressional debate and Worlds Schools debate. Beyond debate, I love playing some poker, listening to pop music, shooting some easy 3s, playing violin, and going on runs once in a while. Nova was truly transformative for me so I hope you sign up!
Evan Burkeen
Evan Burkeen
Hey! I’m Evan (he/him), and I was one of the Co-Directors for NOVA 2022, and this year I will be overseeing administration. I am a rising first-year at Yale University, and during high-school, served as President on the American Heritage Speech & Debate Team. In my career, I’ve qualified to FFL, NSDA, and TOC, and reached deep outrounds at tournaments such as Yale, Sunvite, and Emory. I enjoy all types of debate, ranging from lay to progressive. This is my fourth year at NOVA, and I’m excited to see y’all this summer!
Ethan Roytman
Ethan Roytman
HELLO!? I am Ethan Roytman from American Heritage Broward - my biggest accomplishment is having partnered with the fabulous Mason Cheng, Sharvaa Selvan, Mary Abi-Carry, Odin Farkas, and Evan Burkeen over the past couple of years. Outside of my beaming source of pride, I have qualed to TOC 3x, ammassed 9 bids, won UT Austin, won Sunvite, and went 2-3 at Emory. I enjoy all styles of debate - from progressive trickiness to slow and steady substance. My favorite animals are Red Pandas and Ansel Erol. I am ecstatic to return to nova :)
Sienna Vaughn
Sienna Vaughn
Sienna is a rising senior at Flintridge Preparatory School in La Cañada, California. She started debate in 4th grade and public forum in 7th, qualifying to TOC and NSDA Nationals her freshman, sophomore, and junior year. She has accumulated 22 career bids in just 3 years. Her and her partner went 7-0 in Gold TOC prelims, got 3rd place at NSDA nationals, and has reached late elimination rounds at many tournaments such as Glenbrooks, Ivy Street Round Robin, Yale, Berkeley, James Logan, and more. She's been a captain of her schools 80-person speech and debate team since freshman year and has lots of experience in teaching public forum. She can't wait for this summer!
Krish Chaturvedi
Krish Chaturvedi
Hi! My name is Krish (he/him) and I am a rising senior at St. Thomas Aquinas High School. I am the debate captain for my school’s forensic team. I've been competing in PF on the local and national circuit for 3 years now and have amassed 6 TOC bids. Most recently, I reached the quarterfinals at FFL Varsity States and competed at TOC Gold. I have experience with all forms of debating ranging from lay debate to writing and running Ks and theory. In my free time I love to play piano and listen to music.
Elaine Nam
Elaine Nam
Hi, I'm Elaine (she/her), and I am a rising senior at Bergen County Academies, which is located in New Jersey! I have been competing in Public Forum since seventh grade, and this will be my second summer working at NOVA. I have been a mentor for Speech and Debate to my own school's team, which I am the captain of. Currently, I have accumulated 3 career Tournament of Champion bids and am the Chapter Head for Beyond Resolved NJ. I really value equity and diversity in debate and have loved running some unique arguments tackling real-world issues, especially related to women's rights and gender equality. Some fun facts about me: I love Olivia Rodrigo, I have a 9-year-old toy poodle named Sarie, and I am super interested in politics! I am really excited to be working at NOVA this year and can't wait to see all of you improve with our help.
Marina Gallo
Marina Gallo
Hey! I'm Marina (she/her). I'm a rising senior & I've debated for three years at Bronx Science. I've earned two bids and championed Durham this year, and states my freshman year. I find all types of debate interesting, but I especially enjoy reading progressive argumentation -- This year I read a Killjoy K and my sophomore year I read a lot of fem framing and the occasional theory shell. In my free time, I play volleyball and rock climb. Excited to work with y'all!
Dasha Smirnova
Dasha Smirnova
Hi y'all! My name is Dasha and I'm a rising senior at Bronx Science in New York City. I've been debating for five years and I'm currently the novice director of PF at Bronx Science. I've reached outrounds at Yale, UK Season Opener, Blake, Lakeland, and Scarsdale. Notably, I've championed Durham and NYSFL States and qualified to Silver TOC. I taught at Nova last year and I'm excited to be back!
Mason Cheng
Mason Cheng
Salutations, I’m Mason and a rising senior for American Heritage Broward. I am the C of American Heritage Broward RC. I predominantly do LD but temporarily switched over to PF my junior year. My debate interests include philosophy, theory, tricks, and impact turns. I have also recently picked up a passion for lay debate. I have qualled to the TOC in both LD and PF and have qualled to States and Nats in Policy. My favorite animals are bunnies and panda bears. I am filled with adrenaline and exhilarated to teach at Nova this year!
Andrew Cheung
Andrew Cheung
Hi I’m Andrew (he/him)! I’m a rising senior and I've debated at Summit for 3 years. I qualified to gold TOC my sophomore and junior years with 5 career bids. I championed Ridge, semifinaled Villiger and Millard North, and reached outrounds at Yale, Bronx, Princeton, Harvard, and more. I’ve broken at every tournament my junior year and I’ve also received speaker awards at Bronx and Milo. I’m experienced in both technical theory debate and super lay debate, and I enjoy creative round vision and warrant comparison. Outside debate, I love playing ice hockey and listening to music. I’m super excited to meet everyone and teach at NOVA this summer!
Grace Liu
Grace Liu
Grace is a rising senior at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Virginia. She has been debating for three years, during which she has been ranked as high as 17th in the nation, earned 3 bids and reached outrounds at Princeton, the UK Season Opener, Sunvite, Durham, and more, qualifying for TOC and NSDA Nationals as well as winning States her freshman year. As the co-captain of her school’s 100-person Public Forum debate team and a past instructor at NOVA, she has gained lots of experience teaching debaters of all levels. In her free time, she loves listening to music, reading, and watching British detective shows. She is super excited to be directing at NOVA this year!
David Li
David Li
David is a rising senior at Thomas Jefferson High School in Alexandria, Virginia, and he has debated for the past 3 years. This year, he accrued 5 bids, ranked as high as 7th in the nation, and reached outrounds at Bronx, UK Season Opener, Yale, UPenn, and Princeton. David and his partner also previously qualified to TOC and NCFL, and placed top 30 at NSDA Nationals. As the teaching coordinator for TJ Public forum and a returning NOVA instructor, he had a blast mentoring debaters of all divisions, whether it was helping write cases or practicing drills. In his free time, David enjoys going on walks with his Shih-Tzu Cow, listening to music, and playing chess. He is ecstatic to direct at NOVA Debate this year!
Ramon Perez
Ramon Perez
Hey! My name is Ramon, I'm going to be a rising Junior at West Broward High School, where I am the Captain of Public Forum. Coming from a school with a smaller debate program I created publicforumnow.com to try and challenge the resource inequity in debate by creating free and accessible resources for everyone! I attended Nova Debate camp last year and it helped me improve a lot, since then I got to quarters and 11th spoke Sunvite, I got to quarters and 7th spoke Nova Titan, broke at Emory, as well as qualified to FFL. I really love progressive debate and I've read basically every type of argument that you can read (Theory, Non-T Affs, Ks, etc). I specialize in framing debate and really enjoy reading Identity arguments. In my free time, I like reading, listening to music (I listen mostly to Hiphop and RNB), and cutting random Ks that I'll never read. I'm super excited to work at Nova this summer and hope to meet all of you!
Fiona Hu
Fiona Hu
Hi! My name is Fiona Hu (she/they) and I have been debating for 3 years now. This year, I qualled to gold TOC and accumulated 2 gold and 3 silver bids. I semi-finaled Yale, Laird Lewis and the Harvard Round Robin, and finaled Duke. I broke to octos at Durham and GMU, and reached outrounds at Glenbrooks, and Harvard. In addition to qualifying to TOC, I also qualified twice in row to NCFLs. In terms of experience, I have debated everything from lay debate to progressive K rounds. I have also taught novices starting from sophomore year. My favorite music artist is Lana Del Rey. I cannot wait to teach this summer!
Ali Sidiqyar
Ali Sidiqyar
Ali is a rising senior at Brentwood High School near Nashville, Tennessee. He's competed in varsity public forum for two years on the national circuit amassing eight total bids, most notably reaching deep outrounds at UK, Stanford, and Emory where he won second speaker. Beyond that, he has coached debaters at his school, helping a team qualify to gold TOC. He is enthused to help y'all improve and is the starting power forward for his recreational basketball team. Go snackies!
Benjamin Yoo
Benjamin Yoo
Hi! I'm Benjamin, and I did one year of MSPDP before starting public forum debate in freshman year. This is my first year as a counselor, although I've helped many novice debaters with prep and scrimmage rounds before. Some fun facts about me are: I have two dogs, I do cross country and theatre, and my favorite book is the Da Vinci Code. I cannot wait to instruct at NOVA this year!
Hassan Palanpurwala
Hassan Palanpurwala
Hello, my name Is Hassan Palanpurwala and I attend West Broward High School. I started debate and PF in 7th grade and now serve as the Vice President of my debate team. During my debate career, I have made it to elims in PF at Sunvite, Emory, Holy Cross, dabbled in LD, and also qualified to the TOC in PF. I also qualified to the FFL state tournament in PF, but made semifinals in International Extemporaneous Speaking!?!? I love progressive debate and have read almost any argument you can think of (non-t affs, theory, k, etc.). However, I especially enjoy identity arguments and framing debates. In my free time I love to listen to music and I can also move my ears. My biggest accomplishment is being Ethan Roytmans debate partner in 8th grade, and I cannot wait to teach at Nova!
Ellen Liu
Ellen Liu
Hello! I'm Ellen (she/her), a rising junior at Poolesville Highschool. Over the past three years on the national circuit, I’ve been ranked as high as the 20th best PF team in the Nation, championed NYU, semied Mid-America Cup, and quartered Harvard. Additionally, I qualified to the TOC every single year of my debate career and reached octos at Upenn, UK, and Stanford. Outside of debate, I enjoy listening to music and playing lacrosse :) I can't wait to work with everyone this summer!!
Benjamin Tang
Benjamin Tang
Hey! My name is Benjamin Tang and I'm a rising senior at Winston Churchill High School. I have been competing since my freshman year, and have earned four bids over the past two years, qualifying to the TOC both my sophomore and junior year. Notably, I have semifinaled Stanford and octofinaled at Durham, while also reaching outrounds at tournaments such as Harvard, Stanford, Columbia, and UPenn. As the captain of my school's debate team, I have plenty of experience coaching PF. I am comfortable with all styles of debate, having debated on the local circuit as well as having run progressive arguments. Looking forward to working with all of you this summer!
Adam Levin
Adam Levin
Hi! I’m Adam (he/him) and I’m a rising senior at Cary Academy in North Carolina. I’ve debated in Public Forum for three years and in my two years on the national circuit I’ve accrued 5 bids, qualified to TOC, NCFLs, and NSDAs. I’ve Finaled Laird Lewis, Semifinaled Durham, and reached elimination rounds at Blue Key, Milo, Yale, GMU, Glenbrooks, and NCFLs, obtaining 5th speaker at Glenbrooks. I’ve attended Nova for 2 years and have coached many of the novices at Cary Academy. This summer, I’m especially excited to discuss narrative styles of debate and crossfire strategies. Outside of debate, I love swimming, cooking, and watching New Girl. I can’t wait to teach this summer!
Connor Chun
Connor Chun
Hey there! My name is Connor and I'm a rising sophomore at Langley High School. I did MSPDP in middle school and started PF in my freshmen year. This year, my partner and I qualified to Metrofinals four times, the VA state championship, and TOC at Laird Lewis invitational. I've coached many of the novices at Langley, and specifically focus on crafting lay narratives. Outside of debate, I love playing violin and rock climbing. I was a student last year at NOVA, and I'm super excited to return as an instructor!
Michaela Frey
Michaela Frey
Hi, I'm Michaela Frey (she/her) and I'm a rising sophomore at Langley High School. I did MSPDP at Longfellow MS and currently do public forum. I work with novices at my school and compete on the local Virginia circuit as well as the national circuit. This year, I qualified to metrofinals, TOC, and placed 4th at States. Outside of school, I like to paint and read, and I spend a lot of time listening to music, specifically The Crane Wives. This is my first year teaching at NOVA and I'm looking forward to it!
Naman Mukerji
Naman Mukerji
Hey! My name is Naman Mukerji, and I'm a rising senior at Ravenwood High School located in Brentwood, Tennessee. I am a mentor at my own school where I help to lead the varsity debate team as well as offer guidance to middle schoolers who plan on pursuing debate as they become high schoolers. I am a national tournament qualifier, gold TOC qualifier with four bids this year, and a former top 15 debater in the nation, and I really value debate because it helps teach students public speaking skills, helps students learn about current issues in our world, and helps to form friendships and meaningful relationships. Outside of debate, I enjoy playing guitar, tennis, and photography.
Usho Watanabe
Usho Watanabe
I'm Usho! I've been debating at Taipei American for 3 years, with experience in PF and WSDC. As a rising junior, I've qualified to TOC and Nationals both years, with 5 bids and consistent breaks across the board, being ranked the current #2 international team. I'm a first speaker, meaning that I can help with anything ranging from collapse strategies, meta weighing to lay persuasive frontlines and rhetoric. When I'm not debating or teaching our Middle School Program, you can find me watching True Crime shows.
Faith Zhao
Faith Zhao
Hi guys! My name is Faith (she/her) and I'm a rising junior at Dulaney High School in Baltimore Maryland. This will be my third year of debating in a public forum. During this time, my partner and I have qualified for TOC, NSDA Nationals and amassed bronze at states to NCFL Grand Nationals. As a leader and topic analyst of my high school's debate team, I have gotten to watch my peers grow as debaters and people. In my free time, I love to figure skate. I am so excited to teach at NOVA this summer :)))
Sasha Cara
Sasha Cara
Hi! My name is Sasha. I am a rising senior at Princeton High School and have been debating for three years. This year, I have accumulated 2 gold and 2 silver bids. I championed Pennsbury, quartered at Cypress Bay and earned 6th Speaker at Gold TOC. I have also reached outrounds at Harvard, UK Season Opener, Columbia and Yale. As the Director of my school’s Summer Debate Institute, I have gained experience coaching debaters of all levels. I am passionate about ensuring equal access to resources in debate and promoting gender equality in the debate space. Outside of debate, I enjoy playing classical guitar and ballroom dancing. I am so excited to meet everyone this summer!
Arnav Mahendra
Arnav Mahendra
Arnav Mahendra is a rising junior at Mira Loma High School in Sacramento, California. In his two years of debate, he has amassed three bids to the ToC, qualified for states and NSDA Nationals, and broken to elims at many natcirc tournaments. Arnav was the third speaker at the Mid America Cup and ninth at the University of Kentucky Season Opener. He reached the semifinals at the Season Opener and quarterfinals at the TOC Digital Speech and Debate Series #3. Previously, Arnav Mahendra coached at Winston Churchill Middle School and was an instructor at the Indian Association of Sacramento Debate Camp, where he was recognized by California State Treasurer Fiona Ma. When he's not doing Public Forum debate, Arnav likes to dabble in World Schools debate and play basketball with his friends. Arnav is excited to have the opportunity to meet y'all at NOVA this year!
Alex Huang
Alex Huang
Hi! I’m Alex Huang (they/he), a rising senior at Durham Academy in North Carolina where I’ve debated for three years. In my two years on the national circuit, I’ve won the TOC, Yale, NCFLs, the King Round Robin, and the NC State Championship, accumulating 10 bids along the way, and making deep outrounds at UK and Sunvite. Being the novice trainer at Durham, and working with my many teammates, I have a great deal of experiencing teaching debate ranging from the basics to the cutting edge, and I am excited to share all of that with y’all! Away from debate, I love soccer, photography, and listening to Mac Miller. I will maybe beat a quarter of you at chess, and all of you at Tetris. I hope to see you at camp!
Arnav Ratna
Arnav Ratna
Hey! I'm Arnav (he/him), and I'm a current PF debater at College Prep. I'm going into my fourth year of debate in high school, and I've qualified to TOC my sophomore and junior years with a total of 6 career bids. I've been ranked as high as 11th in the nation, reaching semis at silver TOC, quarters at Stanford, octas at Bellaire, Glenbrooks, Palm Classic, and Sunvite, and top 2 prelim seeds at Glenbrooks and Columbia. I've also earned a few speaker awards, including second at Glenbrooks. Some of my favorite parts of debate are frontlining, weighing, and writing squirrelly arguments. Outside of debate, I love solving Rubik's cubes, shuffling cards, doing math competitions, and playing the violin. I'm really excited to be at NOVA and can't wait to work with y'all!
Ishan Puri
Ishan Puri
Hi! I'm Ishan, and I'm a rising Junior at Thomas S. Wootton High School where I serve as the Captain of our Debate Program. I've been debating competitively on the National Circuit since Freshman year, and over this time I have qualified to TOC as well as reached late out rounds at tournaments such as Georgetown and GMU. This year, I broke to quarterfinals at Silver TOC and also received the tenth speaker award. Outside of Debate, I play tennis and enjoy video games. I look forward to working with y'all this summer!
Daniel Li
Daniel Li
Daniel is a rising senior at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science & Tech in Alexandria, Virginia, and has debated for the past 3 years. This year, he qualified for both the Tournament of Champions & the National Speech & Debate Tournament, and reached outrounds at numerous tournaments, such as Georgetown, Stanford, Cypress Bay, and Columbia. Daniel enjoys mentoring debaters of all divisions, and currently mentors 4 teams at his school's public forum team. In his free time, Daniel enjoys reading and listening to music. He is excited to teach at NOVA this summer!
Ivan Shah
Ivan Shah
Ivan (he/him) is a rising senior at DVHS in California, Bay Area. He has been competing in Speech and Debate for four years and currently holds the position of Vice President in his school's 200-student debate team. As a co-Captain for the 50-student PF team, he has secured qualifications for GTOC and States twice, as well as Nationals. Ivan has accumulated 9 PF career bids, positioning himself among the top 20 debaters in the nation based on bids. Notable accomplishments include championing at La Costa, reaching the semifinals at Peninsula, and the quarterfinals at Jack Howe and Berkeley. He has also achieved deep out-round placements at Nano Nagle, ASU, and other tournaments, as well as top speaker awards at tournaments such as La Costa and UNLV. Beyond PF, he has a keen interest in competing in Impromptu and Congressional debate. When he's not engaged in the world of debate, you'll often find Ivan enjoying quality time with his lovable Goldendoodle, Blaze. He also has a passion for skateboarding and never says no to shredding some slopes while skiing.
Tuilaepa Katoanga
Tuilaepa Katoanga
Hello! My name is Tuilaepa Katoanga (he/him) and I am a rising senior at Regis High School. I've done debate since middle school, competing in PF on the local New York circuit as well as the national circuit. During the past three years, I've made it to semis at Columbia, quarters at Tim Averill, and, in my sophomore year, I was the top speaker at Columbia and NYSFL states. I specialize in traditional debate, focusing on how to create a compelling narrative by condensing the round, but I also have experience with technical debate as well. When I'm not debating, I love listening to Taylor Swift, watching TV, and writing. As a NOVA alum, I'm super excited to return as an instructor this year!
Aaron Tian
Aaron Tian
Hi! I'm Aaron and I'm a rising sophomore at Thomas Wootton High School in Maryland. I'm a captain of my school's debate team and have been debating for around 4 years on the national and local circuits. I've been ranked as high as top 3 teams in the country, and amassed 5 gold bids to the Tournament of Champions. Notably, I championed SVUDL and reached semifinals at UPenn and Harvard. I enjoy both technical and lay styles of debate, and have experience in all types of argument. Outside of debate I enjoy listening to music and hanging out with friends. I'm super excited to get to work with everyone!
Mathan Liu
Mathan Liu
Hi! I am Mathan Liu. I am a rising senior at East Ridge High School in Minnesota. I have served as the Captain for the East Ridge High School debate team, and have led the team to compete on the national circuit. I have been debating for three years in both Public Forum and World Schools Debate. I have qualified to NSDA nationals all three years I have been debating, and have broken to late out rounds in World Schools Debate. This year, I have broken to out rounds at TOC Digital #1, Columbia, and Stanford. I have lots of experience in both lay and tech debate. I love teaching lay appeal as well as creative weighing strategies! Outside of debate, I love playing soccer, playing video games, and going skateboarding. I am beyond ecstatic to be teaching at NOVA this year!
Maria Pelaez
Maria Pelaez
Hi! I’m Maria (she/her) and I go to BASIS Shavano in San Antonio, Texas, where I am a rising Junior. I started debate in 8th grade, and started competing heavily my freshman year. I was vice president of my debate team my sophomore year, and I also taught our PF novices. I’ve qualified for NSDA nationals twice in PF, semifinaled at UIL CX state, qualified for TFA state in PF, and dabbled in Congress and Extemp (state qualifying for both). Outside of debate, I love going to the gym, hanging out with my little brother, and making playlists. I went to NOVA for two years, and it was super helpful, so I’m really looking forward to being an instructor!
Jae Kim
Jae Kim
What's up! I'm Jae (he/him) and I'm a rising college freshman and debated for three years at Torrey Pines High School where I served as Vice President of Speech and Debate as well as being a PF captain. I qualled to NDCA and TOC twice, quartered Arizona State and UNLV, top seeded Cal State Fullerton, and reached elimination rounds at Jack Howe, Nano Nagle, La Costa, Lexington, Berkeley, and Peninsula over the course of my career. I have plenty of experience in both technical and lay debate, along with independently coaching. Outside of debate, I play lacrosse, badminton (which I suck at), and enjoy a lot of gaming. I attended NOVA as a freshman and I'm excited to work with y'all this summer!
Ishraq Hossain
Ishraq Hossain
Hello! My name is Ishraq and I’m a rising senior at Del Norte High School in San Diego, California. Throughout my three years competing on the national circuit, I’ve amassed 15 bids to the Tournament of Champions and received first-speaker awards at the California Invitational, Peach State, and Presentation. I’ve broken at the TOC and placed 17th at the NSDA Nationals. I’ve also coached teams that have qualified for the TOC and California State Tournament. Outside of debate, I enjoy playing basketball with my friends and reading. I’m excited to work with all of you this summer!
Reva Sharma
Reva Sharma
Hi! My name is Reva Sharma and I'm a rising senior at Mira Loma High School. I'm the President of my school's speech and debate club, and I've been doing public forum for around 3 years. This year I qualified to NCFL nationals, NSDA, TOC, and California States. I'm pretty experienced with lay, flay, and trad flow debate. This is my second year teaching at NOVA, I've taught at my own local camp for 2 years, and give private coaching to a decent amount of students. I absolutely love debate and love most debaters which is why I'm super excited to teach y'all this summer!
Milan Chander
Milan Chander
Milan Chander debated for four years at Sidwell Friends School in Washington D.C. Across his career, he earned 7 bids and debated elimination rounds at NCFLs and the TOC. He also championed Georgetown his senior year. His favorite debate memories are teaching novices at his school as a captain and at NOVA. Aside from debate, Milan likes to play the drums, walk his dog Dobby, and listen to Drake and Phoebe Bridgers. He’s excited to return to NOVA!
Ella Zhang
Ella Zhang
Hey!! I'm Ella and I'm a rising senior at Cary Academy where I have been debating for three years and will be team captain next year. This year, I've been ranked as high as 3rd in the nation, earned 4 bids, and qualified to both gold TOC and NCFLs. I've also been invited to 4 round robins, and I semifinaled Yale, Laird Lewis, the Harvard Round Robin, and finaled Duke, while also reaching outrounds at GMU, Durham, and Harvard. I've also been top speaker at GMU, JV Yale, Virtual States, and 3 locals. I can debate prog and tech, but lay debate holds a special place in my heart. I am a Sheerio and have proudly won debate rounds because of Ed in the past, and I can type faster than 90% of the population. I look forward to working with you all!
Aayush Kumar
Aayush Kumar
Hey, I’m Aayush! I’ve been PF debating since around 7th grade and got a few bids and stuff. My partner and I were ranked top 15, went to Gold TOC, and qualified for nationals this past season. As a rising senior at Ravenwood High School and the debate team’s head captain, I have gotten pretty good at helping new debaters understand the competitive debate space. I’ve worked with aspiring public speakers of all ages and can’t wait to share my knowledge with everyone at NOVA! Outside debate, I love to hike, follow Formula 1, play classical sax, and recreationally SCUBA dive. Oh, I also listen to music of all kinds, so send your favorites! A presto-
Fiona Li
Fiona Li
Hey I’m Fiona (she/they), and I’m a rising senior. I debated for three years at the Overlake school in Washington, winning my district tournament, qualifying to nationals and becoming the first to team to fully qualify for toc gold at my school. I also did wsd and reached eliminations at nats and won state. In my free time I like to watch kdramas on Netflix and make random playlists on Spotify. I can't wait to be instructing at NOVA this summer!
Tiffany Bian
Tiffany Bian
Hi, I'm Tiffany! I'm a rising senior at Dulles High School where I was the pf captain there my junior year, which has provided me plenty of experience mentoring both novice and varsity teams. Throughout my career, I've qualified to TOC Gold with five bids, qualified to NSDA nationals, and qualified for TFA State twice. I've reached elim rounds at almost every one of the 11 bid tournaments I attended this year, including Stanford, octos at Bellaire and Peach State, and quarters at U of H and the Milo Cup. I have lots of experience in fem framing and fem arguments, theory, as well as standard tech and lay debate. In my free time, I love playing tennis and video games. So excited to be working with y'all this summer!

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