Our Team

My name is David Lee and I’m a high school senior from Del Norte High School, in Southern California. I’ve been in Speech and Debate for four years now and placed top-thirty in CA states. I was also the captain of Del Norte’s Public Forum team. In the future, I plan on utilizing the skills I’ve honed from debate to major in political science and pass policies to help more people. Speech and Debate has instilled self-confidence in me, and I hope to give other students this same experience. I am excited to be able to get to change student’s lives and help them find their voices!

My name is Shubhay Choubey and I’m a Junior at Del Norte Highschool from Southern California. I’ve done Speech and Debate for 3 years now. So far I have been ranked as high as top 200 in the world during the season, and I’ve competed multiple national level tournaments. I plan on using the skills I’ve learned from debate to become a entrepreneur one day and create companies that help others. I’m excited to help coach and help other students get into public speaking and find their voice.

My name is Lillian Ding, and I am a high school sophomore from Southern California. With nearly two years of experience in debate, including competing in national varsity tournaments like Stanford, I have developed key communication skills and public speaking abilities. I plan to, later on, pursue a career in law and economics, shaped by these experiences. I’m excited to share the lessons I’ve learned and help younger students build confidence in public speaking and improve their communication skills through my work with Speak Your Thoughts!

My name is Evan Ji and I am a high school senior from southern California. I have been debating for four years and in that time, I have competed at many national varsity tournaments at Columbia, ASU, and Berkeley. I plan on becoming an engineer when I grow up. As an engineer, public speaking can help me explain my ideas and bolster my teamwork and leadership with other engineers. In order to promote speaking skills for others, my goal is to create a diverse space that is inclusive for everyone so that we can help anyone across the world who wants to become a better communicator.

My name is Nisarg Shah and I’m a high school junior at Del Norte High School. I’ve been actively participating in Speech and Debate for three years, competing in numerous national tournaments at schools like UC Berkely and Collumbia. My academic interests lie in biomedical science and biophysics, fields where I aspire to go into. Engaging in Speech and Debate has made my communication and critical thinking skills much more confident, which are essential for everyday life. I’m thrilled to collaborate with Speak Your Thoughts to support the program and help students enhance their communication skills for future opportunities!

My name is Sadhika Kari and I am a high school senior in Southern California. I have two years of experience competing in debate. Notably, I placed second at the Stanford Invitational in Congressional debate, and I am captain of Del Norte High school’s Congress team. In the future, I’m interested in going into either law or politics, and debate helps create the foundation I would need for the public speaking aspects of these careers. Through this organization, I hope to help young students find their voice and gain confidence in their public speaking skills so they can dream big like me.

My name is Anna Zhang and I’m a high school senior from Southern California. I’ve done Speech and Debate for two years now and Mock Trial for three years, and I’ve competed at numerous national tournaments. In the future, I’m interested in pursing law and becoming a better advocate for others, and these activities have significantly helped me become more confident in that regard. I’m excited to work with Speak Your Thoughts to raise money for students’ education, and I hope to help others grow in their communication skills!

My name is Olivia Lam and I’m from Southern California. I debated competitively for 4 years and attended prestigious tournaments like Penn Online, Stanford Invitational, Berkeley Invitational and more. In the future, I plan to study neuroscience and pursue a career in academia. Speech and debate has helped me develop more confidence and better speaking skills. I am excited to help other students grow through Speak Your Thoughts.

My name is Carter Lou, and I’m currently a Sophomore at a high school in Southern California. Over the past year, I’ve been actively involved in Speech and Debate, competing at the varsity level in numerous national events. This experience has not only sharpened my public speaking and critical thinking abilities but has also fueled my passion for effective communication. I’m excited to be able to share all that I’ve learned in these past years about public speaking and help hone others’ communication abilities. In the future, I aspire to pursue a career in business, where I believe these same communication skills will play a key role in my success.