Chief Mentor
Name: Vinay Vellore
College: UC Berkeley
Major: Economics and Data Science
Location: CA, USA
Vinay Vellore
Hey, my name is Vinay and I’ve coached novice and varsity public forum debate for around 5 years. I started competing in public forum in 2019, where throughout my career, I achieved over 11+ qualifying bids to the TOC and championed numerous national circuit tournaments including The Jack Howe Memorial Open and The California Round Robin.
Over the last two years, I was the head debate coach at my former high school, Basis Independent Silicon Valley. I just recently graduated from U.C. Berkeley with degrees in Economics and Data Science, and currently, I am an investment banker at J.P. Morgan in San Francisco.
In my free time I enjoy golfing and snowboarding.
Senior Mentor
Name: Priya Sharma
College: Stanford University
Major: Computer Science
Location: CA, USA
Priya Sharma
Priya has been mentoring students in coding and debate for 3 years. She competed in national debate circuits and now works as a software engineer at Google.
She enjoys hiking and playing the piano in her free time.
Debate Coach
Name: Michael Chen
College: MIT
Major: Physics
Location: MA, USA
Michael Chen
Michael has coached debate teams for 4 years, specializing in policy debate. He is pursuing a PhD in Physics and enjoys teaching complex concepts.
In his spare time, he loves chess and astronomy.
Junior Mentor
Name: Sarah Johnson
College: UCLA
Major: Biology
Location: CA, USA
Sarah Johnson
Sarah is passionate about mentoring students in science and debate. She has competed in regional tournaments and is a pre-med student.
She enjoys running and volunteering at animal shelters.
Lead Instructor
Name: David Kim
College: Harvard University
Major: Political Science
Location: MA, USA
David Kim
David has led debate workshops for 6 years and won multiple national championships. He works as a policy analyst.
He enjoys reading history books and cycling.
Assistant Coach
Name: Emily Patel
College: NYU
Major: Journalism
Location: NY, USA
Emily Patel
Emily specializes in public speaking and debate coaching. She has a background in journalism and loves helping students find their voice.
She enjoys photography and yoga.
Program Coordinator
Name: Alex Nguyen
College: Caltech
Major: Chemical Engineering
Location: CA, USA
Alex Nguyen
Alex coordinates debate programs and mentors students in STEM. He has a strong background in competitive debate.
He enjoys rock climbing and cooking.
Mentor
Name: Rachel Lee
College: Yale University
Major: English
Location: CT, USA
Rachel Lee
Rachel mentors students in debate and creative writing. She has competed in national tournaments and works as an editor.
She enjoys painting and traveling.