Join us for camp over winter, spring & summer breaks!

CAMP

FDT's Camps

Condensed learning in a fun environment.

FDT’s Camps run three times each year during winter, spring and summer. Camp is uniquely valuable because it provides students with a high quantity of teaching and practice hours within a few days. Students from grades 4 to 12, with any level of experience, are welcome to attend! This program is ideal for both new students and our long-term ones who are eager to hone their skills over the break. Groups are split off based on students’ experience levels and tournament needs to ensure that all students get the most out of each session. 

register here for winter camp!

Grades 4-12 Students! Join us for comprehensive learning over winter, spring and summer breaks.

Winter Camp

DURING WINTER BREAK

2026-2027 Dates: 
December 21st – 24th
December 28th – January 1st
January 4th – 8th

Time: 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM PST

Location: #200 – 1916 W Broadway, Vancouver

Camp Pricing:

  • Single Day: $150
  • 4-Day Package: $450
  • One Week (5 Days): $500
  • Two Weeks (10 Days): $800
  • All-Access Camp Pass: $1,000
Click here to register for winter camp!

Spring Camp

DURING Spring BREAK

2027 Dates: 
March 15th – 19th
Mar 22nd – 26th

Time: 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM PST

Location: #200 – 1916 W Broadway, Vancouver

Camp Pricing:
Single Day: $150
3-Day Package: $400
One Week (5 Days): $500
Full Two-Week Camp (10 Days): $800

*Ask about our bring a friend to camp incentive!

Summer Camp

DURING SUmmer BREAk

PROGRAMS

Debate
Public Speaking
Communication Exploration – a chance to try multiple FDT programs, including:
Ethics Olympiad, World Scholar’s Cup, Model UN, Mock Trial, Speak Up!

DATES

July 6 – 10
July 13 – 17
July 20 – 24
July 27 – 31
Aug 10 – 14
Aug 17 – 21

register here for summer camp!

LOCATION
#200 – 1916 W Broadway, Vancouver

TIME
11:00 AM – 3:00 PM PST

FEES
1 Day – $200
3 Days – $400
1 Week – $500 
2 Weeks – $900
3 Weeks – $1200
Summer Camp All Access Pass – $2000

Nicholas HUang

教师

Nicholas 近期毕业于波士顿伯克利音乐学院（Berklee College of Music）。在发展音乐事业的同时，他也教授多个学科，包括数学、化学及人文学科。自高中时期起，他便积极参与并带领各类夏令营、社团及课后活动，其中包括在 School of Rock 的经历，以及在 Glenwood Study Centre 与 Westbrook Education Fund 合作的相关工作。

作为一名音乐人，Nicholas 是一位多乐器演奏者、词曲创作者及音乐制作人，目前在卑诗省本拿比的 Lake City Sound Studio 从事音乐创作与制作。他同时为不同年龄段的学生提供吉他、钢琴及歌曲创作的一对一课程。

Nicholas 从小便对哲学与辩论抱有浓厚兴趣，经常与朋友和家人深入探讨各种议题。他尤其喜欢研究宗教哲学、医学伦理及现代美学。在伯克利音乐学院就读期间，他还学习了国际关系、美国历史及古希腊哲学等课程，进一步拓展了自己对这些领域的兴趣与理解。

Nicholas 也期待在不久的将来从事高中教学工作。他希望通过人文学科与科学教育，鼓励新一代学生保持好奇心、积极探索，并培养更深入的思考能力。

Nicholas Huang

Instructor

Nicholas 近期毕业于波士顿伯克利音乐学院（Berklee College of Music）。在发展音乐事业的同时，他也教授多个学科，包括数学、化学及人文学科。自高中时期起，他便积极参与并带领各类夏令营、社团及课后活动，其中包括在 School of Rock 的经历，以及在 Glenwood Study Centre 与 Westbrook Education Fund 合作的相关工作。

作为一名音乐人，Nicholas 是一位多乐器演奏者、词曲创作者及音乐制作人，目前在卑诗省本拿比的 Lake City Sound Studio 从事音乐创作与制作。他同时为不同年龄段的学生提供吉他、钢琴及歌曲创作的一对一课程。

Nicholas 从小便对哲学与辩论抱有浓厚兴趣，经常与朋友和家人深入探讨各种议题。他尤其喜欢研究宗教哲学、医学伦理及现代美学。在伯克利音乐学院就读期间，他还学习了国际关系、美国历史及古希腊哲学等课程，进一步拓展了自己对这些领域的兴趣与理解。

Nicholas 也期待在不久的将来从事高中教学工作。他希望通过人文学科与科学教育，鼓励新一代学生保持好奇心、积极探索，并培养更深入的思考能力。

nicholas huang

Instructor

Nicholas is a recent graduate of Berklee College of Music in Boston. Alongside his music career, he tutors in various topics including mathematics, chemistry, and the humanities. Since high school, he has counselled and led a variety of summer camps, clubs, and after school activities including his time at School of Rock and work with Westbrook Education Fund at Glenwood Study Centre. As a musician, Nicholas is a multi-instrumentalist songwriter and producer at Lake City Sound Studio in Burnaby, B.C. He also teaches private lessons in guitar, piano, and songwriting to students of all ages. From his youth, Nicholas has had a keen interest in philosophy and debate and you can often find him in deep discussions with friends and family. His favourite subjects to dive into are Philosophy of Religion, Medical Ethics, and Modern Aesthetics which grew while studying topics such as International Relations, U.S. History, and Ancient Greek Philosophy in his time at Berklee. Nicholas is also looking forward to teaching high school in the near future, with his heart set on helping the coming generations encourage their curiosity through the humanities and sciences.

Topaz Zafrir

Instructor

Topaz began her debate journey in 2015 while completing her Bachelor’s degree in Behavioral Sciences, and quickly found her way from competing into teaching and coaching debate.

Over the years, she competed and adjudicated in tournaments across Israel and Europe, including Serbia, Croatia, Greece, Germany, and Poland. She broke both as a debater and as an adjudicator, judged at the European Universities Debating Championship twice, and broke as an adjudicator at the 2019 high school championship in Germany. Alongside competing, Topaz spent years teaching debate, rhetoric, and public speaking to students at all ages and adults.

Today, Topaz is a certified Life and Business Coach with a Master’s degree in Organizational Consulting and over 14 years of experience in teaching, facilitation, and working with individuals and groups. She brings together her background in debate, coaching, and human behaviour to help students think critically, communicate with confidence, and find their own voice.

Topaz zafrir

教师

Topaz 于 2015 年攻读行为科学学士学位期间开始接触辩论，并很快从辩论选手逐渐走向辩论教学与教练工作。

多年来，她曾在以色列及欧洲各地参加辩论赛事并担任评审，足迹遍及塞尔维亚、克罗地亚、希腊、德国和波兰等国家。她曾以辩手和评审身份多次晋级淘汰赛，并两度担任欧洲大学辩论锦标赛（European Universities Debating Championship）的评审。2019 年，她还在德国高中辩论锦标赛中以评审身份晋级淘汰赛。除了参赛与评审之外，Topaz 多年来也持续教授不同年龄层的学生及成人辩论、修辞与公众演讲。

目前，Topaz 是一名认证人生与商业教练，拥有组织咨询硕士学位，并具备超过 14 年的教学、引导培训以及个人与团体辅导经验。她将自己在辩论、教练指导及人类行为领域的专业背景融入教学，帮助学生培养批判性思维、自信表达，并找到属于自己的声音。

sara sontz

办公室助理

Sara 近期毕业于英属哥伦比亚大学（UBC），获得社会学文学学士学位，并辅修社会正义。她热衷于社区参与，并致力于营造充满支持与鼓励的学习环境，让低龄学生能够安心、自信地学习和成长。

她将重返 UBC，攻读小学教育学士学位，希望进一步提升自己的专业能力，并继续陪伴和帮助年轻学生茁壮成长。

Sara sontz

office assistant

Sara recently graduated from the University of British Columbia with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and a minor in Social Justice. She is passionate about community engagement and creating supportive educational environments where young students feel comfortable and encouraged to learn. She will be returning to the University of British Columbia to pursue a Bachelor of Education in Elementary Education, where she hopes to continue supporting and nurturing young learners.

mathematics

FDT’s Math Program…

 

For more details, click here.

mika bains

教师

Mika Bains是一位经验丰富的辩手和辩论教练，自2014年起开始参与辩论。他曾两次获得阿尔伯塔省辩论锦标赛冠军，其中一次为双语组冠军，另一次为英语组冠军，并三次参加加拿大全国辩论锦标赛。

他毕业于英属哥伦比亚大学，获得国际关系学士学位，并辅修经济学。近期，他又在约克大学Glendon学院完成了公共与国际事务硕士学位。

在职业方面，Mika曾在渥太华国会山为一名国会议员工作，也拥有商业和市场营销等多个领域的工作经验。

matin narimani

教师

Matin毕业于英属哥伦比亚大学生物医学工程专业。工程学习让他明白，优秀的设计始终以人为本，需要真正理解人们的需求、重视的事物以及对他们而言最重要的内容。他也将这种以人为中心的思维方式带入辩论中，因为要构建真正有说服力、能够引起共鸣的论点，就必须深入理解辩题中的相关人物、利益群体和核心价值。

Matin从高中时期开始参加辩论和知识竞赛，曾在多场高中邀请赛中获奖，并获得过“Reach for the Top”知识竞赛奖牌。他创立了University Transition Club的辩论项目，并指导没有任何辩论经验的学生在省级比赛中取得前三名的成绩。在英属哥伦比亚大学期间，他曾在Hugill Alberta Debate Championship中获得新生组个人及团队前二名，并在Zagreb和Vienna邀请赛中成功晋级新生组淘汰赛。

Matin热衷于与不同水平、不同背景的辩手合作。他尤其擅长技术类和科学相关辩题，并致力于帮助学生建立自信，勇于面对复杂议题，找到自己的声音，并提升临场思考能力。辩论之外，你可能会在篮球场、滑雪场，或世界另一端的某个地方看到他！

Nicolo alcanse

办公室助理

Nicolo目前就读于英属哥伦比亚大学文学院，计划主修国际关系。作为办公室助理，他协助支持FDT Academy的日常运营，并帮助营造一个更有利于学生学习的环境。

他也积极参与模拟联合国活动，曾在高中和大学阶段参加多场加拿大国内及国际会议。通过在FDT的工作，他希望帮助青少年提升对当今社会议题的了解，增强参与意识，并更有自信地表达自己的观点，成长为下一代社会领袖。

Yue ("amanda") Qu

办公室助理

Yue近期毕业于西蒙菲莎大学比迪商学院，对教育、沟通和社区参与有着浓厚的兴趣。她曾在温哥华沿岸卫生局参与医疗数据分析教育相关工作，协助开发学习材料，并帮助提升课程内容的易理解性，让不同技术背景的学生都能更好地学习。

Yue热衷于通过沟通和跨文化交流，帮助他人建立自信。她能流利使用英语和普通话，目前也正在学习法语。在FDT之外，Yue喜欢画画、徒步旅行，以及探索温哥华各地的新咖啡馆。Yue很高兴能够成为FDT的一员！

YUe ("Amanda") Qu

office assistant

Yue is a recent graduate from Simon Fraser University’s Beedie School of Business with a strong interest in education, communication, and community engagement. She has experience supporting healthcare data analytics education through her work with Vancouver Coastal Health, where she helped develop learning materials and improve the accessibility of course content for students with different technical backgrounds. Yue is passionate about helping others build confidence through communication and cross-cultural connection. She is bilingual in English and Mandarin and is currently studying French. Outside of FDT, Yue enjoys drawing, hiking, and exploring new cafés around Vancouver. Yue is excited to be part of FDT!

Chiara biagi

办公室助理

Chiara目前就读于英属哥伦比亚大学，正在攻读综合科学学士学位。她喜欢与孩子们相处，并重视营造一个让他们能够自在做自己、勇于表达想法并不断挑战自我的环境。

在空闲时间，Chiara喜欢户外活动，尤其是徒步旅行和攀岩，同时她也非常热爱烹饪。Chiara很高兴能够成为FDT大家庭的一员！

Chiara biagi

office assistant

Chiara is currently a student at the University of British Columbia, pursuing a Bachelor of Integrated Science. She enjoys working with children and values creating spaces where they feel comfortable being themselves while also encouraging them to share their ideas and challenge themselves. In her free time, Chiara loves spending time outdoors, especially hiking and rock climbing, and she also has a passion for cooking. Chiara is excited to be a part of the FDT family!

 

Nicolo alcanse

office assistant

Nicolo is an undergraduate student in the faculty of arts at the University of British Columbia, intending to pursue a major in international relations. As an office assistant, he supports FDT Academy’s day-to-day operations, helping ensure an environment that best facilitates learning. He is also extensively involved in Model United Nations, participating in several domestic and international conferences at both the high school and university levels. Through his work at FDT, he aims to help youth become more knowledgeable, engaged, and vocal on today’s issues as society’s next generation of leaders.

MATIN NARIMANI

Instructor

Matin is a Biomedical Engineering graduate from the University of British Columbia. Engineering taught him that good design always starts with people, understanding what they need, what they value, and what matters to them. He brings that same person-centered lens to debate, where constructing arguments that actually resonate means deeply engaging with the actors, stakeholders, and values at the heart of any motion.

Matin began competing in debate and trivia in high school, placing at high school invitationals and earning a Reach for the Top medal. He founded the University Transition Club’s debate program, coaching students with no prior experience to top-3 finishes at provincial tournaments. At UBC, he went on to place as a Top 2 Novice Speaker and Team at the Hugill Alberta Debate Championship, as well as achieving novice breaks at the Zagreb and Vienna Invitational tournaments.

Matin is passionate about working with debaters at all levels and from all backgrounds. He brings particular insight on technical and science-adjacent motions, and is committed to helping students build the confidence to engage with complex ideas, find their voice, and think on their feet. Outside of debate, you’ll find him on the basketball court, the ski slopes, or somewhere on the other side of the world!

Mika Bains

Instructor

Mika Bains is a seasoned debater and debate coach who began his debate career in 2014. He twice won the Alberta Provincial Debate Championships, once bilingually and once in English, and has competed thrice at the Canadian National Debating Championships. He graduated from the University of British Columbia with a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations (minor in Economics), and recently completed a Masters in Public and International Affairs at York University’s Glendon College. Professionally, he has worked on Parliament Hill in Ottawa for a Member of Parliament, as well as various roles in business, and marketing.

helen zhao

Instructor

Helen is an undergraduate student majoring in Speech Sciences at the University of British Columbia, with hopes of becoming a Speech-Language Pathologist. With over seven years of experience working with school-age children and youths, she has leadership experience as a Youth Program Assistant, Behavioural Interventionist, and after-school/summer camp leader supporting adolescents who benefit best from mild to moderate behavioural guidance. Working closely with young individuals, she is inspired by the progress she witnesses when students gain confidence in their communication skills and is particularly motivated by helping them develop tools that allow them to thrive socially and academically. Helen aims to utilize her experience and strives to ensure that everyone is given the appropriate setting to overcome obstacles, for an opportunity to strengthen their confidence, build knowledge, and discover their voices.

avai Ramesh

办公室助理

Avai 是英属哥伦比亚大学（UBC）二年级学生，主修政治学与经济学双学位。她拥有辩论背景，并在疫情期间带领高中辩论队开展活动。

她热爱与孩子们合作，并有丰富经验帮助学生建立自信、走出内向。课余时间，Avai 喜欢跑步和参加音乐会。

avai ramesh

office assistant

Avai is a second-year student at the University of British Columbia pursuing a dual degree in Political Science and Economics. She has a background in debate, having led her high school debate team during COVID. She loves working with kids and has experience helping them build confidence and come out of their shells. In her free time, she enjoys running and going to concerts.

adrianna cena

办公室助理

Adrianna 目前就读于 Sutherland Secondary 中学的毕业年级，计划在卡皮拉诺大学（Capilano University）攻读心理学专业。她致力于在 FDT Academy 产生积极影响，并努力营造一个让每位学生都能感受到被倾听的学习环境。

Adrianna 认为，坚持并为自己的信念发声至关重要，例如倡导女性权益和气候变化议题。她也为能够加入一个鼓励年轻人为信念发声的组织而感到自豪。

在 FDT 之外，Adrianna 对艺术充满热情，常通过绘画进行创作表达，同时也喜欢阅读和写作，记录那些令她感兴趣或受到启发的事物。

adrianna cena

office assistant

Adrianna is currently in her final year of high school at Sutherland Secondary and is aiming to study Psychology at Capilano University. Adrianna strives to make a positive impact at FDT Academy, and to create an environment where every student feels that their voices are being heard. She believes that it is important to stand up for what she believes in, like advocating for Women’s Rights and Climate Change. Adrianna is proud to be a part of an organization that teaches youth to stand up for their convictions. Outside of FDT, Adrianna is passionate about the arts, and will frequently use painting as a creative outlet, along with reading and writing about things that interest or inspire her.

fatma omer

教师

Fatma 是西蒙菲莎大学的一名本科生，攻读商科、哲学与法律联合专业，并获得伦理学证书。她自高中起便参与竞技辩论，目前已成为加拿大排名靠前的辩手之一。她的突出成绩包括：获得2025年阿尔伯塔大学 Hugill 辩论赛冠军，并在2025年加州大学伯克利分校及2024年西雅图大学的比赛中取得社团及加拿大最高排名。

作为西蒙菲莎大学辩论社的联席主席及前学术副主席，Fatma 是大学辩论社群的重要成员。她拥有丰富的教学经验，包括在UBC夏令营教授辩论课程，并长期进行国际赛制的一对一教学。她同时也是一位经验丰富的评委和导师，擅长帮助学生理解复杂的伦理与逻辑框架。

Fatma 坚信辩论应采取全面发展的方式，将严谨的哲学分析与策略相结合。她致力于帮助 FDT 学生提升表达风格，增强自信！在辩论之外，Fatma 喜欢阅读经典文学和进行攀岩运动。

fatma omer

Instructor

Fatma is an undergraduate student at Simon Fraser University, pursuing a Joint Major in Business, Philosophy, and Law with an Ethics Certificate. A competitive debater since high school, she is currently one of the top-ranked Canadian debaters, with standout performances including Champion of the 2025 Hugill University of Alberta Debate Tournament and highest society and Canadian rankings at the 2025 UC Berkeley and 2024 Seattle University tournaments.

As the Co-President of the SFU Debate Society and former VP Academics, Fatma is a cornerstone of the collegiate debate community. Her coaching experience includes teaching debate at UBC Camps and extensive experience teaching international formats privately. She is a seasoned judge and mentor known for helping students navigate complex ethical and logical frameworks.

Fatma believes in a holistic approach to debate that merges rigorous philosophical analysis with strategy. She is dedicated to helping FDT students refine their rhetorical style and gain confidence! Outside of debate, Fatma is an avid reader of classic literature and rock climbing!

pankti shah

教师

Pankti Shah 是西蒙菲莎大学的一名本科生，主修计算机科学与商科。在高中期间，她参加了地区性的伦理碗（Ethics Bowl）比赛，并持续参与该组织，目前在 Ethics Bowl Canada 担任评委和主持人。她同时也是西蒙菲莎大学大学生伦理碗团队的成员，积极参与比赛。

Pankti 目前担任西蒙菲莎大学辩论社的联席主席之一，负责领导和管理一个约有300名学生的社群。在这一角色中，她组织各类活动，支持竞技辩手的发展，并致力于营造一个能够帮助学生提升批判性思维、公众演讲以及协作能力的环境。她也曾参加过国内外多个辩论比赛。

Pankti 致力于营造一个包容、尊重和支持的环境，让来自不同背景的人都能够自信表达自我、清晰阐述观点，并参与有深度、有意义的讨论。

pankti shah

Instructor

Pankti Shah is an undergraduate student at Simon Fraser University, where she is studying Computer Science and Business. Throughout high school, she competed in regional Ethics Bowl competitions and continues to stay involved in the organization as a judge and moderator with Ethics Bowl Canada. She also competes as a member of Simon Fraser University’s team for the College Ethics Bowl.


Pankti is currently the Co-President of the Simon Fraser University Debate Society, where she helps lead and manage a community of approximately 300 students. Through this role, she organizes programming, supports competitive debaters, and fosters an environment where students can develop critical thinking, public speaking, and collaboration skills. She has also competed in debate tournaments both domestically and internationally.


Pankti is committed to helping cultivate an inclusive, respectful, and supportive environment where individuals from all backgrounds feel empowered to find their voice, express their ideas confidently, and engage in thoughtful dialogue.

Ainsley JOnes

办公室助理

Ainsley 是英属哥伦比亚大学（UBC）三年级学生，主修自然资源保护，并以法律为未来发展方向。她是不列颠哥伦比亚省青年议会的成员，并在大学期间持续参与模拟联合国（Model United Nations）活动。

Ainsley 热衷于与孩子们合作，通过公众演讲帮助他们建立自信。除了在 FDT 的工作之外，她还喜欢徒步、烹饪和阅读。Ainsley 非常高兴能够成为 FDT 的一员！

AINSLEY JONES

office assistant

Ainsley is a 3rd year student at UBC studying natural resources conservation as a pre-law student. She is a member of the British Columbia Youth Parliament and has participated in Model United Nations throughout university. She has a passion for working with children and helping them gain confidence through public speaking. Outside of FDT Ainsley loves to hike, cook, and read. Ainsley is thrilled to be a part of FDT!

Josh hatt

Instructor

Josh Hatt is an instructor, program and curriculum developer at FDT Academy with over 15 years of international classroom experience across drama, theatre, social studies, and critical thinking and communication. An international school educator who has taught on most continents, he has worked with students of all backgrounds and helped build programs that elevate both skill and confidence.

Josh currently teaches at the senior school level in Vancouver and holds a Master of Education in Teacher Leadership with a focus on curriculum development. Known for his jovial energy and global perspective, he champions student growth by helping learners build clarity, presence, and a more human voice. He works with students one to one and in small groups, supporting those who want to strengthen their delivery, confidence, and authentic communication. A proud dad of two boys, Josh believes the best learning happens when students feel seen, challenged, and empowered.

Angela Wu

教师

安吉拉目前就读于英属哥伦比亚大学尚德商学院，主修市场营销，并辅修政治学。她通过商业案例竞赛积累了丰富的公众演讲经验，曾向行业高管展示战略方案，并指导本科同学提升演讲与展示技巧。她代表 UBC 参加过多项比赛，包括 JDC West 2025（商业战略）、JDC West 2023（市场营销）、Canadian Tire 营销挑战赛、Canadian Marketing League、全国战略咨询竞赛，以及欧莱雅 Brandstorm 2025 挑战赛。

安吉拉热衷于帮助学生建立表达自我观点的自信，并坚信讲故事既是市场营销的核心，也是人与人之间建立联系的关键。她还曾在加拿大政府及多家初创企业工作，积累了将战略与创意结合以产生影响的专业经验。

在学业与职业之外，安吉拉喜欢探索各国美食，并在自家厨房复刻她在国外尝过的菜肴。她也是一位资深游戏玩家，尤其热衷于《艾尔登法环》和《我的世界》这样沉浸式的游戏世界。

Raine Gurton

教师

Raine 是渥太华大学的学生，就读于荣誉国际研究与现代语言本科课程。她在演讲和辩论方面已有七年的丰富经验。作为加拿大国家队的代表，Raine 在即兴演讲中获得了世界第五名的成绩。在加拿大全国锦标赛上，她获得了总成绩第三名和朗读项目的第二名。她还曾多次进入国际级赛事的决赛，包括世界个人辩论与演讲锦标赛以及国际私立学校演讲比赛。在辩论方面，她的团队在国际 Re:solved 比赛中获得第二名。Raine 心怀感激，感谢演讲、辩论以及 FDT 为她提供的各种机会。她非常享受教学，并乐于帮助他人提升能力。

Raine Gurton

Instructor

Raine is a student at the University of Ottawa, where she is in the Honours International Studies and Modern Languages undergraduate program. She has been actively involved in speech and debate for seven years. Representing Team Canada for public speaking, Raine placed 5th in the world for Impromptu Speaking. She placed 3rd overall and 2nd in Interpretive Reading at the Canadian National Championships. She has also been a finalist at multiple international-level competitions, including the World Individual Debating and Public Speaking Championships and the International Independent Schools’ Public Speaking Competition. In debate, her team placed second at the international Re:solved competition. Raine is grateful for the opportunities which speech and debate and FDT have provided her. She truly enjoys coaching and helping others grow in their abilities.

Vedant Srinivasan

教师

維丹特·斯里尼瓦桑（Vedant Srinivasan）是喬治城大學沃爾許外交學院的大二學生，主修科學、科技與國際事務。維丹特曾參加過多種形式的演講與辯論比賽，包括英式議會制、CNDF 和世界中學生辯論賽。他曾兩度打入加拿大英式議會制錦標賽八強，並參加過牛津中學辯論賽。在十一年級時，他於加拿大及世界個人演講與辯論錦標賽中均獲得亞軍。作為教練，維丹特曾帶領他所在學校的演講與辯論課程，指導七至十二年級的學生。他的目標是幫助學生培養自我反思的能力，讓他們能自信地在公眾場合發言，並以深思熟慮的方式審視周遭的世界。

Kiesha Luat

办公室助理

Kiesha 目前就读于英属哥伦比亚大学尚德商学院，攻读商业学士学位。作为 FDT 的办公室助理，她致力于营造一个支持性的学习环境，鼓励年轻的演讲者不仅要自信发言，更要有目的地发声——用他们的声音为世界的改善发声。 在工作之外，她积极参与戏剧和艺术活动，并热衷于投身于各种社区公益项目，真诚地希望能够伸出援手、带来积极影响。她非常高兴能成为 FDT 团队的一员，为推动青年的赋权与表达贡献力量。

Kiesha luat

office assistant

Kiesha is currently an undergraduate student at UBC Sauder School of Business, pursuing a Bachelor of Commerce degree. In her role as Office Assistant at FDT, she aims to foster a supportive learning environment where young speakers are encouraged to speak up, not only with confidence, but with purpose—using their voices to advocate for the betterment of the world. Beyond the workplace, she is actively involved in theatre and the arts, and finds purpose in volunteering in a range of community initiatives with a genuine desire to be a helping hand and make a positive impact. She is thrilled to be part of the FDT team and to contribute to its mission of youth empowerment and expression.

Eric Ma

教师

Eric Ma 目前就读于加州大学圣地亚哥分校（UC San Diego）生物化学专业，并拥有丰富的国内及国际辩论赛事经验。

在众多比赛成绩中，他曾在 2024 年哈佛线上辩论邀请赛公开组中晋级八强，并获得个人演讲排名第 16 名；在 TOC Digital 赛事中获得第 12 名辩手；同时还在 SeattleU Invitational 中晋级八强。Eric 也曾受邀参加哈佛线上 Round Robin 精英邀请赛，并在由顶尖辩论队伍组成的参赛阵容中获得小组第 3 名。

在初中和高中期间，Eric 长期位列全国顶尖辩手之列。此后，他创立了自己学校的辩论队，并指导学生从零基础入门，逐步成长为能够在正式赛事中获奖的辩手。

出于对教学与指导学生的热情，Eric 尤其重视培养学生扎实的逻辑思维和沟通表达能力，帮助他们掌握能够在课堂内外持续受益的核心技能。

Eric Ma

Instructor

Eric Ma is a biochemistry student at the University of California, San Diego, with an extensive background in both domestic and international debate formats. Most notable are his quarterfinalist and top 16th speaker placement at Harvard’s 2024 online debate invitational (open), 12th speaker placement at TOC Digital, and quarterfinalist placement at SeattleU Invitational. Eric has also been invited to Harvard’s online round robin, placing 3rd in a group of hand-selected top-tier debate teams. Having placed among the top debaters nationally throughout middle and high school, Eric went on to establish his school’s debate team, where he mentored students from total beginners to tournament victors. Driven by a dedication to mentorship, he focuses on teaching the fundamental reasoning and communication tools that allow students to excel both inside and outside the classroom.

William chen

教师

William 正在英属哥伦比亚大学攻读计算机科学理学学士学位。他拥有8年的辩论比赛经验，曾代表UBC参加国际赛事。在高中期间，他创立并担任辩论社社长三年，培养学生参加省级比赛，成效显著。

在UBC就读期间，他参加了 2024 年的 Hart House IV 辩论赛，并在新手组中闯入决赛。William 的参与不仅限于辩论比赛，他目前担任 UBC 辩论协会主席，并参与组织了超过7场大学与高中辩论赛事。他有超过两年的辩论教学经验，擅长与小学生至高中生不同阶段的学生合作并帮助他们成长。

Edison Tan

教师

Edison 就读于西北大学，主修政治学与国际关系。从高中一年级开始，他便活跃于国内外的高中辩论赛场，并坚持了五年。他的辩论成绩斐然，包括以最佳辩手之一的身份赢得 SFU WSDC 辩论赛、在 2019 年的 LMW 地区赛中多次夺冠，以及在 EurOpens 国际赛中晋级为第5强队伍。

在比赛之外，Edison 曾担任西点格雷学院（West Point Grey Academy）辩论队的队长，带领和指导年轻队员，多次助力团队赢得全国级别的冠军。高中毕业后，他进入西北大学继续深造，专注于外交政策与国际关系研究，同时仍活跃于全国辩论与演讲赛事的评审工作。

在暂别赛场成为教练期间，Edison 发现了自己对教学的热爱，他致力于帮助学生成长为具有说服力的辩手。他希望自己的学生不仅能够发展对辩论的热情，还能不断打磨技巧，挑战更高水平的赛场。

caitlin mah

教师

Caitlin Mah 目前就读于多伦多大学公共政策专业。高中期间，她曾多次在加拿大高中组全国辩论锦标赛及加拿大英国议会制辩论全国赛中跻身最佳辩手前十名。她曾晋级剑桥辩论赛总决赛日半决赛，并在 2022 年世界个人辩论与公共演讲锦标赛中获得决赛席位。

进入大学后，Caitlin 在北美及欧洲超过 30 项辩论赛事中晋级淘汰赛，其中包括世界大学辩论锦标赛、普林斯顿大学邀请赛、耶鲁大学邀请赛及渥太华大学邀请赛。2026 年，她凭借对辩论界的积极贡献，荣获 Steven Penner Memorial Honoured Adjudicator Award（史蒂文·彭纳纪念杰出评审奖）。

Caitlin 拥有五年的辩论教学经验，并曾担任多伦多大学 Hart House 辩论队培训团队成员。此外，她还参与了超过 20 项大学及高中辩论赛事的组织工作，其中包括普林斯顿大学邀请赛及加拿大全国辩论锦标赛。Caitlin 期待将自己的经验传授给学生，并激励新一代优秀演讲者不断成长、追求卓越。

 

Brendon Huang

教师

Brendon Huang 是一位即将毕业于英属哥伦比亚大学（University of British Columbia）的学生，主修商业科技管理（Business Technology Management），他在教学方面带来了丰富的知识和实践经验。早在高中时期，Brendon 就开始参与辩论和模拟联合国，逐步锻炼了他的公众演讲能力、批判性思维以及即兴表达技巧。在大学期间，他积极参与多项案例竞赛，进一步提升了自己的分析与解决问题的能力，使他成为一位全面发展的导师，能够引导学生应对各种辩论形式与挑战。Brendon 热爱教学，并十分重视营造一个友善、积极的学习氛围。

Sahasro Bhowmik

教师

Sahasro Bhowmik 是薩斯喀徹溫大學政治學專業的大二學生。他是 2024 年加拿大高中組全國辯論冠軍，並於 2023 年兩度打入全國高中組與英式議會制辯論決賽，因此受邀參加牛津中學辯論賽。他同時三度獲得全國高中組前八名最佳辯手的成績。除了全國賽與英式議會制外，他還在 2024 年贏得了 Doxbridge Worlds 世界辯論賽金組冠軍——這也是他最喜愛的辯論形式。Sahasro 在全國賽、英式議會制與世界學校辯論三種形式中均擁有至少六年的比賽經驗。他非常熱衷於向不同年齡和水平的學生教授辯論，希望能讓更多人認識並體驗辯論帶來的巨大益處，幫助他們培養批判性思維，能夠從多角度看待問題，並積極參與具有建設性的對話。

William chen

Instructor

William is completing a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science at the University of British Columbia. He has been debating for 8 years competitively and has competed internationally representing UBC. He founded and was the president of his high school debate club for three years, where he developed students to compete at the provincial level. During his time at UBC, he competed at HHIV 2024 and was a novice finalist. William’s involvement goes beyond just debating, he currently serves as the president of UBC Debate Society, and has been a part of organizing over 7 varsity and high school tournaments. He has coached debate for over 2 years and has experience working with students from elementary to the high school level.

Edison tan

教师

Edison 就读于西北大学，主修政治学与国际关系。从高中一年级开始，他便活跃于国内外的高中辩论赛场，并坚持了五年。他的辩论成绩斐然，包括以最佳辩手之一的身份赢得 SFU WSDC 辩论赛、在 2019 年的 LMW 地区赛中多次夺冠，以及在 EurOpens 国际赛中晋级为第5强队伍。

在比赛之外，Edison 曾担任西点格雷学院（West Point Grey Academy）辩论队的队长，带领和指导年轻队员，多次助力团队赢得全国级别的冠军。高中毕业后，他进入西北大学继续深造，专注于外交政策与国际关系研究，同时仍活跃于全国辩论与演讲赛事的评审工作。

在暂别赛场成为教练期间，Edison 发现了自己对教学的热爱，他致力于帮助学生成长为具有说服力的辩手。他希望自己的学生不仅能够发展对辩论的热情，还能不断打磨技巧，挑战更高水平的赛场。

Edison tan

Instructor

Edison is a senior at Northwestern University studying Political Science and International Relations. Starting from his freshman year of high school, Edison competed in the highschool debate circuit both nationally and internationally for five years. Some highlights include winning the SFU WSDC tournament as one of its top speakers, consistently winning tournaments like the LMW Regionals 2019, and being the 5th breaking team at EurOpens. Outside of competing, Edison was the captain of the West Point Grey Academy debate team, helping coach younger students and helping lead the team to multiple national victories. After graduating from highschool, Edison has pursued his interest in foreign policy and international relations at Northwestern, where he still judges for debate and public speaking nationals. During his time away as a competitor, Edison has discovered his love for coaching other students and helping them grow their potential as persuasive debaters. He hopes that his students will not only grow their passions for debate but also hone in their skills to compete at the highest levels.

ava wood

教师

Ava 的辩论生涯始于十年级，当时她加入了高中辩论队。在她的教练毕业后，她自豪地接过了这一角色。在就读于西门菲莎大（Simon Fraser University），主修犯罪学与国际研究期间，她非常荣幸地当选为犯罪学学生协会主席。在任期间，她持续提升自己的领导与组织能力，带领一支由 30 多名学生组成的团队，在活动策划、组织发展以及行政改革方面取得了显著成果，为协会的长期发展奠定了坚实基础。

从 SFU 毕业后，Ava 前往加纳北部的塔马利（Tamale），以研究与学习研究员（Research & Learning Fellow）的身份加入青年挑战国际组织（Youth Challenge International），为期三个月。在当地，她专注于政策与社会研究，同时一对一地与当地参与者合作，并主导有关高效研究方法与虚假信息识别的工作坊。返回大温地区后，她开始投身政治工作，在 2025 年联邦大选期间为一位候选人从事社区外联工作。随后，她继续在所属选区的省议员（MLA）办公室工作，协助动员社区内的其他行动者。目前，她担任所在选区协会（Electoral District Association）的妇女与性别权利委员会代表。同时，她还在 Khthon 担任研究助理，运用开源情报（OSINT）核实冲突地区有关万人坑的报告。

在即将到来的春季，Ava 将重返 SFU，攻读社会政策议题文凭课程，随后计划继续深造犯罪学硕士，研究方向聚焦于社交媒体与极端主义招募。她非常高兴能在这一过程中担任 FDT 的导师，并期待帮助学生点燃他们对辩论的热情。

David正在多伦多大学学习管理专业，专注于金融、经济学和政治学。他有超过6年的辩论竞争经验，担任裁判已有2年，教授辩论已有3年。他曾指导过从一年级到十二年级的学生。此外，他还曾是哈特豪斯辩论俱乐部的主席，并组织了包括哈特豪斯高中辩论赛在内的多项著名高中辩论赛事。在国家和国际层面，David取得了多个成就，包括耶鲁大学IV赛和北美大学辩论锦标赛的新手晋级，以及渥太华IV、Uhuru世界辩论赛、伯克利IV赛和加拿大大学辩论锦标赛的公开赛晋级。在空闲时间，David喜欢听爵士乐、玩地理猜谜游戏，并观看多伦多枫叶队再次在第一轮被淘汰的比赛。

Caitlin mah

Instructor

Caitlin Mah studies Public Policy at the University of Toronto. At the high school level, she ranked among the top 10 speakers at Canadian Senior Debate Nationals and British Parliamentary Nationals multiple times. She was a semifinalist at Cambridge Finals Day and a finalist at the 2022 World Individual Debating and Public Speaking Championships. In university, Caitlin has reached elimination rounds at over 30 tournaments across North America and Europe, including the World Universities Debating Championship, Princeton IV, Yale IV, and Ottawa IV. She received the Steven Penner Memorial Honoured Adjudicator Award in 2026 in recognition of her contributions to the debating community. Caitlin has five years of experience coaching debate, including as a member of the training team at Hart House. She has also served on the organizing committees of over 20 varsity and high school tournaments, including Princeton IV and Canadian Nationals. Caitlin looks forward to passing on her experience and inspiring the next generation of top-tier speakers.

Ava wood

Instructor

Ava’s career in debate began in 10th grade when she joined her high school’s debate team, and after her coaches graduated, she was proud to step into the role. While she was attending Simon Fraser University for Criminology and International Studies, she was beyond grateful to be elected President of the Criminology Student Association, where she continued to build her leadership and facilitation skills, leading a team of over 30 students to success in events, growth, and administrative reforms to strengthen it for the future.

Following her graduation from SFU, she spent 3 months in Tamale, Northern Ghana as a Research & Learning Fellow with Youth Challenge International. There, she focused on policy and social research, also working 1-on-1 with local participants and leading workshops on effective research techniques and misinformation detection. Upon her return to the Lower Mainland, she began her work in politics, working in community outreach for a candidate during the 2025 Federal Election. She continued her political work in her MLA’s office, helping mobilize other activists in her community. She now sits as the Women & Gender Rights Committee representative on her Electoral District Association. She also works as a Research Assistant with Khthon, using OSINT to verify reports of mass graves in conflict zones.

This coming winter, Ava is excited to return to SFU to pursue a Diploma in Issues in Social Policy, following which she will be studying for her Master’s in Criminology, focusing on social media and extremist recruitment. She is thrilled to be working as an instructor at FDT throughout this process and looks forward to helping students ignite their passion for debate.

Negar Shaban

教师

Negar 是一名法学院学生，近期毕业于英属哥伦比亚大学（UBC），获得政治学与哲学学士学位。

她对公众演讲的热爱始于七年级，当时她在地区公众演讲比赛中获得冠军。这段经历激发了她对辩论和模拟联合国（Model United Nations）的浓厚兴趣，并在整个高中阶段持续积极参与相关活动。

Negar 非常热衷于帮助学生提升沟通表达能力并建立自信。她相信，批判性思维和逻辑推理不仅是辩论中的重要技能，更是能够受益终身、应用于学习、工作和生活各个方面的能力。凭借她在哲学领域的学术背景，Negar 致力于帮助学生以深入且扎实的方式培养这些能力，并真正将其转化为长期的成长。

在 FDT 之外，Negar 在一家专注于移民法和商业法的律师事务所担任法律行政助理。她也积极参与校园及社区领导工作，担任 UBC 政治学学生协会（Political Science Students’ Association）主席，并担任当地省议员（MLA）委员会的执行成员。

Sahasro bhowmik

Instructor

Sahasro Bhowmik is a sophomore at the University of Saskatchewan studying Political Science. He is the 2024 Senior National Debate Champion and a 2023 2-time Senior National and British Parliamentary Debate Finalist, leading him to get invited to Oxford Schools. He is also a 3-time top 8 Senior National Speaker. Apart from Nationals and BP Style, he won Doxbridge Worlds 2024, in worlds his favorite style of debate, in the Gold Division. He enjoys Nationals, British Parliamentary, and Worlds Style, having experience in all 3 for at least 6 years. He finds immense joy in teaching debate to all ages and skill levels and hopes to show the unknown and great benefits debate can provide to debaters to better allow them to critically think, see two sides of a problem, and engage in productive and constructive discourse.

Brendon huang

Instructor

Brendon Huang is a graduating student from the University of British Columbia specializing in Business Technology Management and he brings a wealth of knowledge and practical experience to his teaching role. With experience starting in high school debate and Model UN, Brendon has honed his skills in public speaking, critical thinking, and impromptu skills. In university, he was involved in numerous case competitions to further sharpened his analytical and problem-solving abilities, making him a well-rounded instructor capable of guiding students through various debate formats and challenges. Brendon enjoys instructing and cares deeply about fostering a friendly learning environment.

Negar shaban

Instructor

Negar is a law student and a recent graduate from the University of British Columbia, with a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Philosophy. Her love for public speaking began in Grade 7, when she won her regional public speaking competition. That formative experience sparked a continued interest in debate and Model United Nations, which she remained active in throughout high school. She is deeply passionate about helping students build confidence in their communication skills and believes that critical thinking and logical reasoning are lifelong tools that extend far beyond debate. Drawing on her background in philosophy, she supports students in developing these skills in a meaningful and lasting way. Outside of FDT, Negar works as a legal administrative assistant at an immigration and business law firm. She is also an active community leader, serving as President of UBC’s Political Science Students’ Association and as an executive of her local MLA’s council.

Randall Bunjamin

Instructor

Randall is a Business student at the University of British Columbia pursuing a specialization in Operations & Logistics and discovered the world of competitive debating during high school. In his first year of debating, he was one of the 3 people who represented Jakarta in nationals, contending against every other Indonesian state, ultimately earning him the champion title and being the 3rd best speaker in 2021. Randall has a track record of over 30 debating awards during his 2 years of high school debating career and also mentored multiple high school students, all of whom have attained top 10 best speaker awards at nationals from 2022-2024. Currently, Randall is active as a judge, with him being part of the Core Adjudication team for UBC’s HST Fall Tournament (2023 & 2024) and judged many other notable BP competitions in Indonesia, while also still competing in the Indonesian debating circuit, embarking on a journey to rediscover new debating insights.

Randall Bunjamin

教师

Randall 是英属哥伦比亚大学（UBC）商学院的学生，专攻运营与物流。他在高中时接触到了竞技辩论的世界。辩论生涯的第一年，他作为三名代表雅加达参加全国比赛的选手之一，与印尼其他所有州的代表对决，最终赢得了冠军，并在2021年被评为全国第三佳辩手。高中两年的辩论生涯中，Randall 共获得了30多项辩论奖项，同时指导了多名高中生，这些学生在2022年至2024年的全国比赛中均跻身最佳辩手前十名。现在，Randall 活跃于裁判领域，担任 UBC HST 秋季辩论赛（2023 和 2024）的核心裁判团队成员，并参与评审了印尼许多知名的英国议会制辩论赛事。同时，他仍在印尼辩论圈中竞争，努力探索新的辩论见解，开启重新发现辩论乐趣的旅程。

Labib Akifuzzaman

教师

**Labib 目前是英属哥伦比亚大学（UBC）创业专业四年级学生，同时也在一家气候科技初创公司工作。**

他热爱辩论已有超过 8 年，并参加过众多本地及国际赛事，取得了出色成绩。其中包括：2020 年 Pre-Alternative Asians 英式议会制辩论赛（British Parliamentary）决赛选手、Scholastica 国际辩论赛亚军，以及 2020 年剑桥公开赛（Cambridge Open）和牛津公开赛（Oxford Open）八强。

进入大学后，Labib 曾获得 Pacific Cup 和 JDC WEST 辩论赛事冠军。他也曾参加世界学校辩论（World Schools）训练营，在国际化的训练环境中进一步提升自己的辩论技巧。

此外，Labib 曾受邀担任多个重要辩论赛事的核心裁判团队成员（Adjudication Core），并积极回馈辩论社群。他最引以为傲的成就之一，是获得“亚洲最佳新秀辩手”（Best Novice Asian Speaker）的荣誉。

Labib 非常期待走进课堂，与学生分享自己的经验，帮助他们充分发挥辩论潜力，并一步步迈向国际舞台上的成功。

Labib Akifuzzaman

Instructor

Labib is a 4th-year entrepreneur student at UBC. He is currently working at a climate tech startup! He has been passionate about debate for over 8 years and competed in numerous local and international tournaments. Notably, he was a finalist in the Pre-Alternative Asians British Parliamentary 2020, runners-up in the Scholastica International Debate Tournament, and a quarterfinalist in both the Cambridge Open and Oxford Open 2020. In University he won the Pacific Cup and JDC WEST, he was also a part of the World Schools training camp, which helped refine his debating skills on a global level. Additionally, he has been honored to serve as adj core for multiple notable tournaments and actively gives back to the debating community. One of his proudest achievements is being named the Best Novice Asian Speaker. Labib is excited to step into the classroom and help students transform their debate potential into international success.

Parker Keeley

教师

“Parker是一名法语双语学生，目前正在攻读由巴黎政治学院（Sciences Po Paris）和不列颠哥伦比亚大学（UBC）联合开设的双学位项目的第四年，主修政治学、法律和音乐。Parker在公众演讲和辩论方面做为参赛者和教练都拥有丰富的经验。 高中时期，他曾在全国范围内参加许多法语和英语的辩论比赛；进入大学后，他继续参加国际赛事，如世界大学生辩论锦标赛（WUDC）和欧洲大学生辩论锦标赛（EUDC），并在这些赛事中代表法国取得了最佳辩手等优异成绩。此外，他还参加了一些享有声望的公众演讲比赛，并在2023年荣获“理查德·德斯科因奖”（Prix Richard Descoigns）。

Parker拥有超过6年的辩论和公众演讲教学经验，教授年龄在10至19岁之间的学生，水平从中级到精英不等。他能够根据不同的学习目标调整教学方式，并致力于帮助学生在各类目标中取得成功。”

Parker Keeley

Instructor

Parker is a French bilingual student currently in his fourth year of a dual degree program between Sciences Po Paris and UBC, studying Political Science, Law and Music. Parker has extensive experience in both public speaking and debate as both a coach and competitor. After competing in many tournaments nationally in high school in both French and English, Parker has continued to compete internationally as a university student, attending tournaments such as WUDC and EUDC where he was the top ranked speaker representing France, among others. He also has competed in prestigious public speaking tournaments, notably winning the 2023 Prix Richard Descoigns. Parker has over 6 years of debate and public speaking coaching experience, having taught students from ages 10-19 from intermediate to elite levels. Adaptable to all learning goals, he is passionate about helping students achieve success in all forms.

Vedant Srinivasan

Instructor

Vedant Srinivasan is a sophomore at Georgetown University in The Walsh School of Foreign Service concentrating in Science, Technology and International affairs. Vedant has competed in Speech and Debate in various styles including British Parliamentary, CNDF and World Schools. He is a 2-time quarterfinalist at the Canadian British Parliamentary Championships, attended Oxford Schools and in Grade-11, Vedant placed 2nd at both the Canadian and World Individual Public Speaking and Debating Championships. As a coach, Vedant led his school’s speech and debate program, helping to teach students in grades 7-12. His goal is to help students hone their reflective processes, giving them the confidence to speak in public and thoughtfully question the world around them.

Leo Zhu

教师

Leo 是不列颠哥伦比亚大学的理科学生。他是2023/24加拿大国家辩论队的成员，并作为五名正式成员之一，代表加拿大参加在塞尔维亚贝尔格莱德举行的2024年世界学校辩论锦标赛。除了被选入Team Canada之外，Leo 的一些辩论生涯亮点包括：在2022 年和冬季假期公开赛中获得最佳辩手，2023 年打入此比赛总决赛；他获得加拿大大学高中全国辩论赛冠军和亚军辩手、以及西部大学冬季高中赛的冠军和最佳辩手。 Leo打辩论比赛超过4 年，并担任Burnaby North辩论协会主席 2 年。他很高兴能在 FDT 与学生分享自己的辩论热情。

Hannah Choi

教师

Hannah 是不列颠哥伦比亚大学（UBC）的一名学生，主修政治学与古典学双专业。她多年活跃于竞技辩论领域，既是参赛辩手，也是教练，目前担任 UBC 辩论社对外副主席（Vice-President External）。在高中高年级时，她曾带领一支新成立的校队并担任队长，帮助该队首次夺得冠军。

在她的辩论生涯中，Hannah 取得了多项重要成就，包括：在加拿大大学全国辩论赛（Canadian University Nationals）公开组打入四分之一决赛；将代表 UBC 参加于 2026 年在保加利亚索非亚举行的世界大学辩论锦标赛（World Universities Debate Championships）；多次获得赛事冠军；在 2024 年的斯坦福世界赛（Stanford Worlds）和西部世界赛（Western Worlds）等国际赛事中晋级；成为 2024 年 UBC 世界赛的最佳发言者；并击败过多支国家级代表队。

Hannah 曾指导从小学到高中的学生，涵盖英式议会制辩论（BP）、加拿大国家辩论赛制（CNDF）、世界学校辩论（WSDC）以及交叉质询辩论（Cross-Examination）。她非常期待与学生分享自己对辩论的热爱——辩论不仅提供丰富的个人与智识成长机会，也能培养深度思考与表达能力。她希望学生们能够通过高质量的公共讨论，成长为积极参与世界事务的全球公民。

Kennedy Kopke

教师

Kennedy在UBC Sauder 商学院攻读商业学士学位。她拥有超过 5 年的辩论竞赛经验，多次获得 BP 式辩论和 CNDF 式辩论的地区级和省级冠军。在参加高中辩论期间，她参加了许多竞争激烈的比赛，在剑桥学校锦标赛中打入总决赛，以及参加BP国家级比赛。此外，Kennedy指导她的高中辩论队在国内和国际上取得了多项成功。Kennedy喜欢帮助年轻学生找到她在 FDT 第一次在学院学习辩论时所发现的辩论热情。她希望帮助所有年轻学子找到自己的声音，通过辩论技巧获得成功。

kennedy Kopke

Instructor

Kennedy is a student at UBC Sauder School of Business pursuing a bachelors degree in Commerce. She has over 5 years of experience in competitive debate, including multiple regional and provincial championships in BP style debate as well as CNDF style. Throughout her time participating in high school debate she attended many highly competitive tournaments, including breaking 4th at the Cambridge Schools Tournament and reaching the grand final and BP nationals. Further, Kennedy coached her high school debate team to multiple other national and international successes. Kennedy enjoys helping young students find the the same passion for debate that she found at FDT when she first learned to debate at the academy. She hopes to help all young students find their own voice, and achieve success through the skills of debating.

Leo Zhu

Instructor

Leo is a Science student at the University of British Columbia. He is a member of the 2023/24 Canadian National Debate Team, and was selected as one of the five debaters to represent Canada at the 2024 World Schools Debating Championship in Belgrade, Serbia. Aside from Team Canada, some of Leo’s debate highlights include: Top Speaker and Grand Finalist  at Winter Holidays Open in 2022 and 2023 respectively, Champion and 2nd Best Speaker at Canadian Universities High School Nationals, and Champion and Top Speaker at Western University Winter High School Tournament. Leo has been debating competitively for 4 years, and was the president of the Burnaby North Debate Society for 2. He greatly enjoys sharing his passion for debate with others, and is excited to do so at FDT.

Hannah choi

Instructor

Hannah is a student at the University of British Columbia pursuing a double major in Political Science and Classics. She has been involved in the competitive debate circuit as both a participant and a coach for several years, currently serving as Vice-President External of the UBC Debate Society and captaining her nascent high school team to its first ever championship title in her senior year. Some achievements throughout her debate career include breaking Open Quarters at Canadian University Nationals; representing UBC in the upcoming 2026 World Universities Debate Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria; championing several tournaments; breaking at international tournaments such as Stanford Worlds and Western Worlds in 2024; top-speaking UBC Worlds 2024; and defeating multiple national teams. Hannah has coached students from the elementary to the high school level in British Parliamentary, Canadian National Debate Format, Worlds Schools, and Cross-Examination. She is thrilled to share her love of debate, with its myriad opportunities for personal and intellectual growth, with her students and hopes that they are able to become engaged global citizens through high-quality discourse. 

Jade hua

教师

Jade就读于UBC大学，攻读金融商业学士学位。 Jade 在过去四年里一直从事辩论工作，并代表越南国家队参加世界学校辩论锦标赛，并于 2023 年成为 WSDC 八强选手。Jade活跃在越南的辩论界，她花费大量时间参加高中辩论比赛，做辩论赛裁判，指导学生辩论和组织辩论比赛。在参与辩论社群期间，她发现了自己对培养批判性思维技能的热情，并希望激发年轻学生的学习好奇心。Jade希望她的学生在不断学习辩论技能的同时，也能找到对辩论的热爱。

Jade Hua

Instructor

Jade is a student at the University of British Columbia completing a Bachelor of Commerce degree focusing on Finance. Jade has been debating for the past four years as well as competing in the World School Debating Championship for Team Vietnam, becoming WSDC Octofinalist in 2023. She has spent much of her time in High School competing, judging, coaching students, and organizing tournaments in the Vietnamese debate circuit. During her time involved in the debate community, she found passion in developing critical thinking skills and hoped to inspire curiosity to learn in young students. She hopes that her students will find this same passion as they continue to develop their debating skills.

Aashton Prasad

办公室助理

Aashton就读于UBC大学，研究人类学和社会正义。在处理FDT的日常前台工作时，他希望为学生营造一个高效且包容的学习环境。除了工作场所之外，他还重视社区建设和联系。他此前曾被任命为 UBC 辩论协会的公正管理者，目前担任 UBC 人类学和斐济学生协会的内务副主席。Aashton喜欢在闲暇时聆听 R&B 音乐、摄影，以及与家人和朋友一起徒步旅行或小径漫步来探索大自然。

Emily rees

教师

Emily 目前正在渥太华大学（University of Ottawa）攻读法律博士（JD）学位，同时拥有英属哥伦比亚大学（University of British Columbia，UBC）神经生物学、遗传学与公共卫生专业学位。

Emily 拥有五年的辩论经验，高中期间也积极参加模拟联合国（Model United Nations，MUN）会议及比赛。在模拟联合国领域，她曾参加多项大型赛事，并获得最佳代表（Best Delegate）及最佳代表团（Best Delegation）等奖项，其中包括加州大学伯克利分校举办的 BMUN，以及麦吉尔大学举办的 SSUNS。

高中期间，Emily 也投入了大量时间指导其他中学生和高中生，为不同的辩论及模拟联合国赛事进行备赛与训练。

在长期参与辩论社群的过程中，Emily 培养了对公共演讲与辩论的深厚热情。她希望通过自己的教学，帮助学生不断提升辩论与表达能力，同时也让他们在学习过程中发现属于自己的热情，并建立更强的自信心。

Aashton Prasad

office assistant

Aashton is an undergraduate at the University of British Columbia studying anthropology and social justice. In handling the daily logistics at FDT, he hopes to promote an effective and inclusive learning environment for students. Beyond the workplace, he values community building and connections. He previously served as an Equity Officer for UBC’s Debate Society and is currently the President of UBC’s Anthropology Students Association and the Vice-President of Internal Affairs for UBC’s Fijian Students Association. Aashton enjoys spending his leisure time listening to R&B music, doing digital photography, and exploring nature through hikes or trail walks with family and friends.

Emily Rees

Instructor

Emily is a law student pursuing her JD at the University of Ottawa and also holds a degree in Neurobiology, Genetics, and Public Health from the University of British Columbia. Emily has been debating for the past five years as well as competing in Model UN conferences during high school. In Model UN she participated in various conferences, placing Best Delegate and Best Delegation awards in conferences such as BMUN at UC Berkeley and SSUNS at McGill University. She has spent much of her time in High School coaching high school students for various debate and Model UN Tournaments. During her time involved in the debate community, she found passion in public speaking and debate. She hopes that her students will find this same passion as they continue to develop their debating skills.

Reid Marcus

辩论主管

Reid 拥有超过 15 年的竞技辩论教学与指导经验，熟悉多种议会制辩论形式，包括加拿大国家辩论赛制（Canadian National Debate Format，CNDF）、英国议会制辩论（British Parliamentary，BP），以及美国常见的公共论坛辩论（Public Forum，PF）等赛制。

Reid 本人也是一位优秀的大学辩手，曾于 2011 年和 2015 年代表英属哥伦比亚大学（UBC）参加世界大学辩论锦标赛。

Reid 拥有剑桥大学科学史哲学硕士（MPhil in History of Science）学位，以及英属哥伦比亚大学（UBC）文学学士学位。

他对辩论教育充满热情，并致力于帮助不同年龄阶段的学生学会深入思考，不仅停留在议题表面，而是进一步探索每一个辩题背后的历史背景、社会脉络与深层原因，从而培养更加全面、独立和有深度的思考能力。

Reid Marcus

Head of debate

Reid brings over 15 years of competitive debate coaching experience in both parliamentary styles: Canadian National Debate Format (CNDF) and British Parliamentary (BP) debate as well as American formats like Public Forum (PF). He is also a standout university debater, and represented the University of British Columbia at the World Championships in both 2011 and 2015. Reid holds an MPhil in History of Science from the University of Cambridge and a BA from UBC. He is deeply passionate about debate pedagogy, and working to empower students of all ages to look beneath the surface of every topic and to explore the history behind the topics they debate in class.

Arta negahban

办公室助理

Arta 很高兴能够作为办公室助理加入 FDT 大家庭！除了协助学院的日常运营外，她将随时为学生、家长和工作人员提供帮助，来创造一个温暖而温馨的环境，激励年轻演讲者发出自己的声音。除了在 FDT 工作之外，Arta 目前还是一名在职女演员，刚刚结束了将于 2024 年首映的 Hulu 系列剧。在空闲时间，她在电影工作室做志愿者，在舞蹈工作室上课，在温哥华寻找新的思想，和朋友们一起歌唱。

Arta Negahban

office assistant

Arta is thrilled to be joining the FDT family as an Office Assistant! While helping with the operations of the academy during opening hours, she is always ready to assist students, parents and staff, creating a warm and welcoming environment to motivate young speakers to find their voice. Apart from her time working at FDT, Arta is currently a working actress freshly wrapped from a Hulu series set to premiere in 2024. In her free time she finds herself volunteering at the film studio, taking classes at the dance studio, finding new viewpoints in Vancouver, and singing her heart out with friends.

Cheryl wu

教师

Cheryl 是一位充满热情的辩论讲师，正在 UBC 攻读历史和经济学荣誉学士学位。作为 UBC 辩论协会的成员，Cheryl曾参加过许多加拿大和国际辩论赛。她曾入围 2023 年太平洋杯和 2023 年 USCIV 决赛，最近在 2023 年北美大学辩论锦标赛中担任裁判。凭借自己的辩论经验，她在2022年成为 TEDxUBC 的演讲编辑和媒体协调员。Cheryl 利用自己在辩论方面的教学经验，帮助演讲者发表卓越的 TED 演讲，并在拥有超过 3600 万订阅者的 TED YouTube 官方频道上展示。此外，作为有着6年经验的前营地辅导员和教师，Cheryl 喜欢与各个年龄段的学生分享她对辩论、公开演讲、社会正义、学术写作的热情。在来到 UBC 之前，Cheryl 曾担任香港中小学生的 BP英国议会制辩论教练。 Cheryl 以 43/45 的 IB 总成绩以第一名的成绩从中学毕业，并获得多伦多大学三一学院的全年奖学金。之后，她担任私人辩论教练，辅导英国文学、中国语言和文学等 IB 科目，知识论和扩展论文。Cheryl 以目标为导向的方法帮助她辅导的许多学生在学习中取得了高分，并提高了他们对公开演讲和辩论的信心。

Sarah sahagian

教师

Sarah Sahagian是一位颇有成就的学者，她在伦敦经济学院完成了性别研究硕士学位，并获得了伦敦经济学院Merit奖学金，这是该校颁发的最负盛名的学术奖学金。

高中时，Sarah 在国际独立学校公开演讲锦标赛中赢得了即兴演讲组的冠军。她还曾三度参加世界个人公开演讲和辩论锦标赛，并于 2004 年获得总成绩第二名。

Sarah拥有丰富的辩论和公共演讲教学经验，她在Kingston的女王辩论联盟和安大略省的Branksome Hall以及英国伦敦的Debate Mate Program都担任过教练。Sarah的学生获得了许多享有优异的成绩，例如赢得安省辩论锦标赛、获得 Fuflord 辩论联盟冠军以及在著名的全国辩论和公开演讲锦标赛中跻身前十名。 Sarah 指导过 8 名学生，他们有资格代表加拿大参加世界个人公开演讲和辩论锦标赛，其中 3 名学生进入前 15 名演讲者之列。Sarah 2018 年担任澳大利亚世界演讲锦标赛的评委，并且是诠释阅读类别总决赛的评委，她作为演讲教练的实力得到了认可。她的多名学生代表加拿大参加世界学校辩论锦标赛，这只有加拿大最顶级的辩手才能做到。

2017 年，Sarah 成为加拿大演讲和辩论基金会的创始执行董事，该基金会将辩论俱乐部引入全国各地的公立学校。她在 S & DC 担任了五年的 ED 职位，然后辞职去探索新项目。

Sarah对私校和顶级大学的申请有着丰富的指导经验。她已经帮助多名学生进入了他们梦想的高中私学校和美国顶尖大学。她喜欢帮助家庭为孩子找到最好的环境，并制定计划以最大限度地提高孩子申请成功的几率。

作为一名作家，Sarah的署名曾出现在《华盛顿邮报》、《多伦多星报》、《国家邮报》、《Elle Canada》和《赫芬顿邮报》等媒体上。

Sarah sahagian

Speech Instructor

An accomplished academic, Sarah Sahagian holds a master’s degree in Gender Studies from The London School of Economics, where she was the recipient of the LSE Merit Scholarship, the most prestigious academic scholarship awarded to the school’s incoming graduate students. 

While in high school, Sarah won the Impromptu Speaking Category at the International Independent Schools’ Public Speaking Championship. She also competed at the World Individual Public Speaking and Debate Championship three times, placing second overall in 2004.

Sarah’s work teaching debating and public speaking began when she volunteered through the Queen’s Debating Union’s outreach program, which provided debate training to local Kingston, Ontario Students. Sarah has also coached public speaking and debating at Branksome Hall in downtown Toronto and through the Debate Mate Program in London, England. 

Students coached by Sarah have received such prestigious honours as winning the Ontario Provincial Debating Championship, taking home Fuflord Debate League titles, and placing in the top ten overall speakers at prestigious national debate and public speaking tournaments. Sarah has coached eight students who qualified to represent Canada at the World Individual Public Speaking and Debating Championship, three of whom placed in the top 15 speakers. Other students of hers have won the Toronto Regional Debating Championships, placed in the top three at the English Speakers’ Union Competition, and came first in the bilingual debating category at Ontario’s Provincial Debating Championship.

Over the course of her career, Sarah is delighted to say she has coached multiple students who qualified to represent Canada at the World Schools Debating Championship, a distinction that goes only to the country’s most brilliant debaters.  

Another passion of Sarah’s is preparatory school and university admissions counseling. She became fascinated by the world of independent school and elite university admissions when she worked as a journalist researching those subjects. Sarah is now proud to say she has helped several students gain admission to their dream high school preparatory schools and top US colleges. She loves helping families identify the best possible environment for their children and creating a plan to maximize the odds of acceptance.   

As a writer, Sarah’s byline has appeared in such outlets as The Washington Post, The Toronto Star, The National Post, Elle Canada, and The Huffington Post.

Cheryl wu

Instructor

Cheryl is a passionate debate instructor pursuing a B.A in Honours History and Economics at UBC. As a member of the UBC Debate Society, Cheryl has competed in both national and international university level tournaments. Some highlights include placing as a finalist at Pacific Cup 2023 and USCIV 2023, as well as her most recent role as a breaking judge in the North American University Debating Championships 2023. Her experience in debate has also lead her to her position as a speech editor and media coordinator for TEDxUBC in 2022. She was able to use her experience in coaching debate to help speakers deliver eloquent TED Talks displayed on the official TED YouTube channel with over 36 million subscribers. Additionally, as a former camp counsellor and teacher of 6 years, Cheryl loves sharing her passion for debate, public speaking, social justice, academic writing with students of all ages. Prior to coming to UBC, Cheryl worked as a BP debate coach for both primary and secondary school students in Hong Kong. After graduating at the top of her secondary class with an overall IB grade of 43/45 and a full year scholarship to University of Toronto Trinity College, Cheryl worked as a private debate coach and tutored IB subjects such as English Literature, Chinese Language and Literature, Theory of Knowledge and the Extended Essay. Cheryl’s goal-oriented approach has helped many of the students she tutored achieve top scores in their studies as well as improve their confidence in public speaking and debate.

Victoria Moldovan

教师

Victoria 正在不列颠哥伦比亚大学攻读政治学文学学士学位。 7 年来，她一直在参加辩论和公共演讲，并参加过加拿大国家级比赛和国际比赛。两年多来，她一直在 FDT 和她所在的高中指导学生进行辩论和公共演讲。这段经历使她在 2022 年 BC 省模拟审判锦标赛中获得第一名。她还在 2021 年加拿大国际公共演讲比赛中获得第三名，并在 2022 年哈佛世界学校辩论邀请赛中排名前 5%。Victoria 热衷于与新辩手分享她所学到的知识，并帮助学生找到自己对辩论和公共演讲的热情。

Victoria Moldovan

Instructor

Victoria is completing a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science at the University of British Columbia. She has been debating and public speaking competitively for over 7 years, and has competed at the national level within Canada, as well as in international tournaments. She has been coaching students in debate and public speaking for over 2 years, at FDT and within her high school. This experience has led her to place 1st in the 2022 BC provincial mock trial championship. She also placed 3rd in the 2021 Canadian International Public Speaking Competition as well as in the top 5% of speakers at the 2022 Harvard World Schools Debate Invitationals. Victoria is passionate about sharing what she has learned with new debaters and helping students find their passion for debate and public speaking.

Simran Cheema

演讲主管

Simran Cheema 毕业于 UBC Sauder 商学院，她是该校 12 名双专攻金融和市场营销的学生之一，她拥有独特的创造性和技术性的说服技巧。作为加拿大公共演讲和辩论国家队的前成员，Simran 在 9 年的辩论生涯中完善了她的辩论技能。她在 Crofton House School 开始了她的辩论之旅，在那里她也有幸担任Head Girl，面对超过2500 名观众发言。在整个高中期间，她走遍了全国和世界各地，代表BC省和加拿大参加了数十场国内和国际比赛，稳居顶级辩手和顶级团队。在大学时，Simran 在 UBC 商业传播公共演讲锦标赛中名列第一，并在 JDC West Debate 在加拿大西部团队中名列第三。 Simran 拥有超过 7 年的 FDT 教学经验和 6 年的比赛经验。她是一位充满激情且久经考验的教练，她非常关心学生的学习，并帮助他们取得成功。

Simran cheema

Head of public speaking

Simran Cheema is a graduate of the UBC Sauder School of Business, where she was one of twelve to ever double specialize in both Finance & Marketing, shedding light on her uniquely creative yet technical approach to persuasion. As an alumn of the Canadian National Team for Public Speaking & Debate, Simran has perfected her persuasive skills over a 9 year career in debate. She started her debate journey at Crofton House School where she also had the honour of serving as Head Girl, presenting to audiences larger than 2,500. Throughout high school, she travelled around the country and world, representing BC and Canada at dozens of national and international competitions, consistently securing top speaker and team placements. At the University level, Simran placed 1st overall at the UBC Business Communications Public Speaking Championship, and 3rd overall team in Western Canada through JDC West Debate. With over 7 years of coaching experience at FDT and 6 years of total competition experience, Simran is a passionate and proven instructor who cares deeply about her students’ learning and subsequent success.

Nicole Yu

办公室助理

Nicole 是 UBC 心理学专业的本科生。除了协助FDT的日常运作外，她还喜欢与学生、员工和客户互动。她为学院创造活跃的氛围，希望学生能在积极的环境中学习。在空闲时间，她会在道场训练或进行户外活动。

Nicole yu

office assistant

Nicole is an undergraduate student majoring in Psychology at UBC. Aside from assisting the daily operation at FDT, she enjoys interacting with students, staff and the customers to create the lively atmosphere in the academy, hoping students can learn under a positive environment. She spends her free time in the dojo or doing outdoor activities.

JEN TARUNO

主讲教练

Jen 近期毕业于英属哥伦比亚大学（University of British Columbia，UBC），获得理学学士学位。他专注于竞技辩论，并从高中时期便开始系统参与辩论训练与比赛。

Jen 在辩论与评审领域拥有十分出色的成绩，累计获得超过 50 项辩论及评审奖项。其中包括在 2021 年第四届 Durham-Oxford-Cambridge 辩论赛中晋级英语作为第二语言组（ESL）决赛。同年，他还入选印度尼西亚国家队，代表 Team Indonesia 参加世界中学生辩论锦标赛（World Schools Debating Championships，WSDC）。2022 年，他进一步以教练身份带领 Team Indonesia 晋级 WSDC 十六强。

Jen 将自己对辩论的热情充分融入教学之中。除了指导学生外，他也会撰写文章，帮助学生提升对复杂议题的分析能力，并持续设计富有知识性和启发性的讲座内容，让学生能够通过辩论更深入地了解世界。

Jen 非常期待与学生一起学习和成长，并帮助他们建立对自身思考能力的信心，成为更加独立、自信且善于表达的思考者。

Jen taruno

lead Instructor

Jen recently graduated with his Bachelor’s of Science from the University of British Columbia. He specializes in competitive debate which he first took on as a high school student. Jen has an impressive track record of over 50 debating and judging awards, including reaching the ESL Finals of the 4th Durham-Oxford-Cambridge in 2021. In the same year, he was selected to represent Team Indonesia at the World Schools Debating Championships (WSDC), and in 2022 he coached Team Indonesia to the WSDC’s Octofinals. Jen brings his passion for debate straight into his teaching, when he’s not coaching students he’s authoring articles that sharpen how students analyze complex ideas and brainstorming informative lectures to share with his students to help them learn more about the world. Jen is excited to work with students and help them build confidence in their own thinking.

negar shaban

办公室助理

Negar 目前是UBC大学的本科生，攻读政治学学士学位。在管理 FDT 的日常运作时，她希望营造一个支持性的学习环境，让年轻的演讲者和辩手可以自信地表达自己的观点。在 FDT 工作之余，她对政治和社区福利工作充满热情：她为当地议员拉票、在非营利组织和环境组织做志愿者，以及运营当地的联合国儿童基金会俱乐部。她的爱好包括烹饪、诗歌朗诵以及与朋友和家人共度美好时光。 Negar 很高兴成为 FDT 大家庭的一员！

negar shaban

office assistant

Negar is currently an undergraduate student at the University of British Columbia pursuing a Bachelor of Political Science. In managing the daily operations of FDT, she hopes to foster a supportive learning environment where young speakers can voice their opinions with confidence. Outside her time working at FDT, she pursues her passions for politics and community welfare through canvassing for local MPs, volunteering at non-profit and environmental organizations, and running her local UNICEF club. Her hobbies include cooking, performing slam poetry, and spending quality time with friends and family. Negar is thrilled to be a part of the FDT family!

Vishwa Srinivasan

教师

Vishwa 就读于麦吉尔大学，攻读经济学荣誉学位。 Vishwa 在中学开始参加辩论和公共演讲比赛，并在高中参加了多项国际比赛。他的一些成就包括获得 2021 年全国公共演讲总冠军，两次入围世界个人辩论和公共演讲比赛的决赛，以及进入英国全国议会辩论锦标赛的半决赛。作为一名教练，Vishwa 的学生入围了世界独立辩论和公开演讲锦标赛的决赛，并获得了参加国际Optimist 演讲比赛的资格。 Vishwa 教授辩论和公开演讲，还精通法语。

Vishwa Srinivasan

Speech Instructor

Vishwa is a student at McGill University pursuing an Honours Degree in Economics. Vishwa started competitive debate and public speaking in middle school and competed in several international competitions in high school. Some of his highlights include being the 2021 National Public Speaking Grand Champion, a two time grand finalist at the World Individual Debate and Public Speaking Competition, and a semi finalist at the National British Parliamentary Debate Championship. As a teacher, Vishwa’s students have placed as finalists in the World Independent Debating and Public Speaking Championships and qualified for the International Optimist Oratorical Competition. Vishwa teaches debating and public speaking and is also fluent in French.

vivienne lin

office assistant

Vivienne is a second-year student studying Visual Arts and Business Management at the University of British Columbia. Besides being responsible for facilitating the day-to-day processes at FDT, she enjoys creating personal connections with students, clients, and other staff, to promote a family-like community and positive learning environment within the academy. She also spends a lot of her time volunteering at various organizations, with a strong interest towards environmental related causes. In her downtime, Vivienne likes spending time with friends and family, taking care of her pet chickens, trying new recipes, and being out in nature.

emma-jane burns

教师

Emma-Jane 正在加州大学伯克利分校攻读数据科学和经济学双学位。 Emma-Jane 有超过五年的辩论经验，参加过地区、省级和全国级比赛。值得注意的是，在通过地区和省级比赛晋级之后，她打入了加拿大国家赛的四分之一决赛。Emma-Jane 在过去三年中一直担任辩论教练。 她致力于帮助学生通过努力练习取得成功，并发挥他们的潜力。

mAJA GRANDINETTI

教师

Maja Grandinetti是目前是英属哥伦比亚大学的法语双语法律系学生。Maja从高中开始教授辩论，至今已经有8年。在Maja的指导下，她的队伍连续三年获得了该地区的冠军，她的私教学生在国家和国际比赛中也取得了优异的成绩。她有丰富的教学经验，能够指导6-17岁、各种水平的学生。作为一名辩手，Maja已经有10年的辩论经验，并在高中时打入国家级赛事。在大学期间，Maja参加了多项辩论比赛，包括牛津和剑桥辩论赛，并进入了Diefenbaker杯和太平洋杯的决赛。除了辩论，Maja还喜欢并教授公众演讲、模拟联合国以及世界学者杯。

Ruby Grinberg

教师

Ruby是英属哥伦比亚大学Sauder商学院的工商管理硕士，并且以三年时间获得了政治学学士学位。鲁Ruby在高中时开始参加辩论和公众演讲，并在她的首次比赛——安大略省青少年全国公众演讲预选赛中获得第一名。从那以后，她不断练习和学习，参加了省级、全国和全球的比赛。通过坚定不移的努力，她在2021年由韩国线上举办的世界独立辩论与公众演讲锦标赛中获得了世界第一名。Ruby拥有超过七年的教练经验，她的学生曾获得国际独立学校公众演讲比赛的冠军、打入世界个人公众演讲锦标赛的决赛。同时，她也教授无数刚进入公众演讲和辩论领域的初学者。Ruby热衷于与她的学生分享她对公众演讲和辩论的热情！

Emma-Jane Burns

Instructor

Emma-Jane is completing a double major in Data Science and Economics at the University of California Berkeley. Emma-Jane has been involved in debate for five years, competing regionally, provincially, and nationally. Notably, after advancing through regionals and provincials, she placed as a quarter-finalist at Canadian Nationals. In addition, Emma-Jane has coached debate for the past three years. Emma-Jane seeks to help students achieve success and their potential through hard work.

Maja Grandinetti

Instructor

Maja Grandinetti is a French bilingual Law student at the University of British Columbia. Maja has coached debate for 8 years starting in high school. Under Maja’s guidance, her team took home the award for Top School in the region three years in a row, and her private students have excelled to reach national and international accomplishments. She has experience coaching students aged 6-17 at all ability levels. Competitively, Maja has been debating for 10 years reaching the National level in high school. In university, Maja has debated at multiple tournaments including Oxford and Cambridge, and broken to finals at Diefenbaker Cup and Pacific Cup. On top of debate, Maja enjoys and coaches Public Speaking, Model United Nations, and World Scholars Cup.

Ruby Grinberg

Instructor

Ruby is a Master of Business Management student at the University of British Columbia — Sauder School of Business, where she also recently graduated with her Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science in just three years. Ruby started debating and public speaking in high school, where she placed 1st in Ontario at the Junior National Public Speaking Qualifiers – her first ever tournament. From there, she continued to practice and learn, competing in tournaments provincially, nationally and globally; and through determination and persistence, she placed 1st in the world at the World Independent Debate and Public Speaking Championships hosted virtually by South Korea in 2021. With over seven years of coaching experience, Ruby has coached the 1st place champion of the International Independent Schools’ Public Speaking Competition, speakers who have broke to finals at the World Individual Public Speaking Championships, as well as beginners to the public speaking and debate community. Ruby loves to share her passion for both public speaking and debate with her students, and is always in the mood to hear a good joke!

Noah Macdonald

教练主管

Noah 目前就读于英属哥伦比亚大学（UBC）彼得·阿拉德法学院，攻读法律学位。他拥有 UBC 哲学硕士学位及哲学荣誉学士学位。Noah 从高中时期便开始参加辩论，并曾荣获加拿大全国辩论锦标赛最佳辩手。进入大学后，他继续活跃于辩论赛场，共赢得 9 项大学校际辩论赛冠军及 18 项最佳辩手奖，其中包括两项全国锦标赛辩手奖。之后，他退出竞技辩论，将重心转向辩论教学与教练工作。

Noah 自 2017 年起担任辩论教练。他所指导的学生几乎在所有主要的全国及国际辩论赛事中获得过冠军或最佳辩手荣誉，包括加拿大 CNDF 初中组及高中组全国赛、加拿大 BP 全国赛、美国全国赛、牛津辩论赛总决赛日、斯坦福世界中学生辩论邀请赛，以及世界中学生辩论锦标赛（WSDC）。超过 12 名由他指导的学生成功入选加拿大国家辩论队，另有许多学生凭借出色的辩论成绩获得顶尖大学的录取。Noah 曾担任 UBC 辩论协会培训总监、丹麦国家辩论队主教练，以及 Impact Debate Academy 主教练。Impact Debate Academy 现已并入 FDT Academy。

在辩论领域之外，Noah 正致力于发展诉讼法律事业。他曾在 Hunter Litigation Chambers 获得诉讼实践经验，并通过法学院学生法律援助项目（Law Students’ Legal Advice Program）为客户提供法律支持。法学院毕业后，他将前往卑诗省最高法院担任司法助理。Noah 将法律辩护中的专业技能融入教学，尤其擅长帮助学生提升论证与分析能力。他还通过 UBC 教学、学习与技术中心接受过正式的教育学培训。

Noah 会与每位学生紧密合作，了解他们最需要提升的方面，并根据个人需求提供有针对性的指导。他注重让辩论学习充满乐趣和吸引力。最重要的是，他希望将自己对辩论和论证的热情分享给每一位学生。

Arsalan Ghaemi

辩论总监

Arsalan 在参与和教授辩论上拥有十多年的经验。作为 FDT 的辩论总监，他在学生中建立了良好的声誉，他的许多学生在地区、省级和国际比赛中获胜。Arsalan 是加拿大国家辩论队的教练，也是温哥华St. George学校的辩论主教练，毕业于英属哥伦比亚大学，拥有政治科学荣誉学位。Arsalan非常高兴能继续教授 FDT 学生，帮助他们找到自己的声音。

Behbod Negahban

教学主管

Behbod 畢業於耶魯學院，獲得政治學學士學位，並在過去十多年中指導過最高水平的辯論選手，其中許多學生都曾躋身世界中學辯論錦標賽的前十名辯手。作為前加拿大國家辯論隊成員，他曾在 2014 年泛美辯論錦標賽與 2012 年 EurOpen 辯論錦標賽中奪冠，並於 2014 年世界中學辯論錦標賽打入四強。辯論之外，Behbod 亦具備學術研究、新聞傳媒及政府事務方面的經驗，包括在華盛頓特區的工作經歷。目前，他正在麥吉爾大學攻讀歷史碩士學位。

Chelli Shapiro

演讲总监

Chelli 近期于麦吉尔大学（McGill University）获得政治学硕士学位，研究方向包括联邦制、资源型民粹主义以及政治议题的框架塑造。

作为一名经验丰富的辩论与演讲选手，Chelli 在公共演讲、辩论和模拟联合国（Model United Nations，MUN）领域拥有超过十年的经验。2018 年，她在加拿大国家辩论队选拔赛中成为阿尔伯塔省排名最高的选手，并于 2019 年凭借对辩论活动的长期投入与贡献荣获 Janet Garten Award。2016 年，她还入选加拿大国家演讲队第一候补名单。

在教学方面，Chelli 曾指导学生夺得加拿大公共演讲全国冠军，并辅导多名学生在世界公共演讲赛事中取得优异成绩。

今年是 Chelli 在 FDT 执教的第七年。她非常期待继续将自己在政治学与学术研究方面的经验，以及对创造力培养和学生自信心建设的热情融入课堂，帮助学生成长为更具思考力、自信心和表达能力的沟通者。

Tonya Cena

学院经理

托尼娅（Tonya）在过去十年中一直负责管理FDT学院，是团队中不可或缺的一员。她是所有学生和家长咨询、比赛准备流程等事务的首要联络人。托尼娅曾带领辩手们前往世界各地参加比赛，足迹遍及风景如画的城市，如开普敦和曼谷。她非常期待FDT接下来会带她前往哪些新的精彩旅程！

Cathy Cena

招生主管

Cathy拥有超过30年的销售和市场营销从业经历，她为FDT带来了宝贵的销售和商业经验财富。她热衷于为家长和学生倾囊相授FDT的经验，并相信学生可以通过演讲丰富自己的生活。无论是小学还是大学大学，辩论和演讲作为一项人生技能，将影响学生生活的方方面面。在与学生家长交流之余，Cathy也致力于为FDT开展各种活动。Cathy是一个热心的志愿者，也是Optimist演讲俱乐部的主席，前艺术中心的主席，她最近还完成了一本书的写作。请随时通过邮件向她了解更多关于FDT学院的信息！

Ghazal Habib

运营主管

Ghazal是FDT的运营主管，拥有政策与管理硕士学位，同时具备国际发展和社会商业背景。Ghazal花了五年时间在东非和南太平洋地区制定和实施国际教育方案。加上她在程序和系统开发方面的背景，Ghazal为FDT团队带来了与时俱进的经验和视角。她的职责非常多样，主要专注于FDT程序的标准化和公司的发展等方面。

Luna Wang

招生助理

Luna拥有多伦多大学教育硕士学位。她过去曾担任 ESL 讲师、教学设计和学生协调等工作。Luna工作的核心价值观包括同情心、成长和合作。她对教育有着真正的热情，对与不同文化背景的人交流、服务和教育有着浓厚的兴趣。作为 FDT 的招生副总监，Luna 希望与家庭和学生建立并保持互相信赖的关系。

Frankie Cena

创始人

Frankie的辩论教练生涯始于他曾就读的高中 Burnaby Mountain Secondary, 在那里，他指导了一批辩手，巩固了该学校作为辩论界非常有竞争力的学校的声誉。

2011年，Frankie开始被任命为Crofton House学校的演讲和辩论总教练，培养出无数名赢得区级，省级，国家级甚至国际辩论赛的学生。他执教生涯的一大亮点是他带领9名最优秀的学生前往捷克参赛，且不负众望进入了决赛。 Frankie的学生赢得了德国EurOpen锦标赛、温哥华地区辩论赛、省法律基金会杯、欧洲之心锦标赛、UBC辩论赛、剑桥大学国际⻘年辩论赛等众多赛事奖项。

当丹⻨教育局选派Frankie担任丹⻨国家辩论队教练时，Frankie 的个人目标之一得以实现。短短几年时间，丹⻨国家辩论队成⻓为世界上最具竞争力的队伍之一。

2016 年，Frankie创办了FDT学院，这是他所有教学经验的真正结晶。他希望这所学院不仅能继续取得成功，还能让他的学生拥有他所珍视的对辩论和演讲的热情。 Frankie还作为发言人，表演者，电视主持人活跃在舞台上。

Dena Tabyanian

教育总监

我們的教學總監擁有十三年的教練經驗。她在高中時期曾以辯手身份入選加拿大國家隊，這是中學生所能達到的最高辯論層級。她曾在 Crofton House School 執教七年，並擔任丹麥國家隊教練五年。她於英國取得教育碩士學位，在過去九年間專注培訓競技型學生，其中許多人最終入選了加拿大國家演講與辯論隊。她負責學院的教學與學習工作，僅教授最高級別的課程，並僅接受少量私人學生。

Moira O'Donoghue

教师

当然，以下是专业、自然、适合 FDT 官网教师简介使用的简体中文版本：

Moira 参与竞技辩论与公共演讲已有超过十年的时间，今年也是她在 FDT 执教的第六年。她曾指导从初学者到国际赛事级别的学生，其中包括加拿大国家辩论队及国家演讲队成员。除此之外，她也曾在多伦多 The York School 担任辩论教练超过三年。

Moira 曾参加并评审加拿大国家级别的法语及英语辩论赛事，同时在高中及大学层级的辩论赛事中拥有丰富的评审与赛事组织经验。

她毕业于多伦多大学（University of Toronto），并曾是 Hart House Debating Club 的成员。目前，Moira 从事企业级 B2B 销售工作，并在职场中持续运用许多通过辩论培养出的沟通、分析与说服能力。

Moira 小时候性格比较害羞，而辩论帮助她逐渐成长为一名自信的演讲者，也让她在个人成长方面获得了很大的改变。她非常热爱辩论与公共演讲教学，因为这些活动不仅能够帮助学生提升批判性思维和表达能力，也能让他们培养许多远远超越比赛本身、并能受益终身的重要技能。

Nicholas Rees

教师

Nicholas 是不列颠哥伦比亚大学物理和数学专业的学生。在过去的七年里，他一直在辩论，高中期间四次参加加拿大国家辩论赛，并在模拟联合国中取得了成功。 Nicholas 依旧活跃在大学辩论界，并在大型比赛中打入决赛，例如 Western IV 和 Hart House IV。Nicholas 还负责为 UBC 主办高中辩论赛。在 FDT 期间，Nicholas 看到他的学生取得了一些卓越的成就，他的一些学生在 2023 年晋级了加拿大国家辩论队。Nicholas 认为人们在享受辩论时最能提高辩论能力，他希望能帮助所有FDT 的学生发现对辩论的热情。

Vivienne Lin

办公室助理

Vivienne 是UBC大学视觉艺术和商业管理专业的二年级学生。除了负责完成 FDT 的日常工作外，她还喜欢与学生、客户和其他员工建立联系，以促进学院内的家庭式社区和积极的学习环境。她还花大量的时间在各种组织做志愿者，对与环境相关的事业有着浓厚的兴趣。在Vivienne 空闲时，她喜欢与朋友和家人共度时光、照顾她的宠物鸡、尝试新食谱以及亲近大自然。

Alice Xu

教师

Alice 目前就读于哥伦比亚大学和巴黎政治学院的双学士学位课程，计划攻读政治学和国际关系学位。她打辩论已有七年，其中两年是作为加拿大国家辩论队的成员。作为辩手，Alice 在国内和国际上赢得了三十多个奖项。她是 NSDA 美国全国辩论锦标赛和英国议会省级锦标赛的冠军，打入了哈佛世界学校的半决赛和加拿大全国辩论锦标赛。此外，她还在加拿大省级辩论锦标赛和皇后大学辩论锦标赛等众多比赛中被评为最佳辩手前10名。Alice 非常高兴能在 FDT 教授聪明的年轻人。

Diya Perry

教师

Diya 近期于伦敦国王学院（King’s College London）完成公共政策硕士学位，同时也是杜伦大学（Durham University）哲学与政治专业的荣誉学士毕业生。

今年是 Diya 在 FDT 执教的第四年。她拥有近十年的竞技公共演讲与辩论经验。在杜伦大学就读期间，Diya 曾负责学校竞技辩论社团的相关工作，担任赛事组织者，同时也为其他学生提供辩论教学与指导。

Diya 对公共演讲和辩论充满热情，并非常期待在新的一年里继续与 FDT 的学生分享自己的经验与热爱，帮助他们提升表达能力、自信心和思辨能力。

Ellen Li

主讲教练

当然，以下是自然、专业、适合 FDT 官网教师简介使用的简体中文版本：

Ellen 目前正在英属哥伦比亚大学（University of British Columbia，UBC）攻读法律博士（JD）学位，并拥有政治学文学学士学位。

在她的辩论生涯中，Ellen 曾前往多个国家参加竞技辩论，并参与过众多国际赛事。她的部分重要成绩包括：2019 年 BC Qualifiers 前三名、2019 年 UBC Falls 冠军队伍及最佳辩手、2019 年 LMW Regionals 冠军队伍及第二名辩手，以及 2019 年 BP Nationals 晋级淘汰赛队伍。

Ellen 拥有五年的竞技辩论经验，并在高中毕业年担任 Crofton House School 辩论社联合队长。

她非常喜欢与低龄学生相处，而对她来说更有意义的是，能够陪伴每一位学生不断成长，看着他们逐渐建立自信，并成为最优秀、最自信的自己。

辩论能够带领学生跨越地域、文化与个人舒适区。Ellen 非常期待看到 FDT 的辩手们未来能够走向多远、取得怎样的成就！

Anthony Galipeau

教师

Anthony 在卡尔顿大学攻读国际经济政策博士学位。他拥有八年的辩论经验，能教授多种辩论形式，包括英国议会辩论、加拿大议会辩论、加拿大国家辩论和世界学校辩论。他经常在小学、高中和大学级别的国内和国际比赛中担任决赛裁判。作为一名能说流利的法语的辩手，Anthony 曾在省级赛的双语辩论赛中担任裁判，并为法语辩手教授辩论课。作为辩手参加比赛时，Anthony 曾参加过 Hart House IV 和 University of Southern California IV 等锦标赛。他曾代表卡尔顿大学参加2021年和2023年的世界大学辩论锦标赛，两次都名列前茅。 Anthony 非常珍惜在 FDT 的时光，他很高兴能继续帮助 FDT 学生找到自己的声音并实现梦想！

Catherine Wang

教师

Catherine Wang就读于多伦多大学，正在攻读公共政策硕士学位。Catherine 执教辩论总共 7 年，从执教她的高中辩论队开始，她带领的队伍成为该地区排名第一的高中队。她教授过 6-17 岁各种经验水平的学生。在比赛方面，她参与辩论超过 9 年，参加过无数比赛。值得注意的是，她曾两次获得Lower Mainland 地区冠军、BC 省级锦标赛最佳辩手 和 UBC HST 决赛入围者。此外，Catherine 热爱公共演讲的艺术，她在高中成立了诗歌朗诵队，并带领他们在 PoetryInVoice 温哥华锦标赛中获胜。

Abigail Conrad

教练主管

Abigail 目前正在卡尔加里大学攻读法律硕士。她毕业于 UBC 国际关系专业。她有10年的辩论比赛经验和7年辩论教练经验。她的学生在许多竞争激烈的高中和大学辩论比赛中赢得了诸多著名奖项，包括哈佛世界学校邀请赛、加拿大国家锦标赛（初级和高级组）、美国全国锦标赛、世界学校辩论锦标赛（WSDC）和欧洲大学辩论锦标赛（EUDC）。她曾担任丹麦国家辩论队的教练两年，是其在越南河内举行的WSDC比赛的主教练。

Abigail 在辩论社群内也担任着领导角色。她曾任Alberta辩论与演讲协会的双语副主席和辩论副主席，并担任英属哥伦比亚大学辩论社的主席。Abigail 本身也是一位成功的竞赛型辩手；在高中时，她在2020年加拿大国家辩论锦标赛中晋级半决赛，并在2018年哈佛世界学校辩论锦标赛中获得第三名的辩手。作为一名大学辩手，Abigail 赢得了2020年的Hugill比赛，曾是2022年加拿大议会全国锦标赛的半决赛选手和最佳演讲者，并在2023年加拿大BP锦标赛中获得亚军。Abigail 喜欢帮助高中辩手更多地了解世界，使他们能够在更高级别的辩论回合中有效参与，并帮助他们为大学及以后的生活做好准备。

Kelly Ho

小学组主管

Kelly 拥有哈佛大学教育学院（Harvard University）教育政策与分析专业教育学硕士（Ed.M）学位，并专注于高等教育方向。她同时拥有英属哥伦比亚大学（UBC）政治学及法律与社会（Law and Society）学士学位。

完成研究生学习后，Kelly 曾在 Pacific Lutheran University 担任招生顾问及申请评估官（Admissions Advisor & Evaluation Officer），全面参与大学招生流程，并积累了丰富的高等教育招生与申请评估经验。

Kelly 的竞技辩论经历始于十年级。作为 Little Flower Academy 的学生，她在 FDT Academy 的指导下开始接受系统性的竞技辩论训练。高中期间，她连续五年参加竞技辩论，并两次晋级全国赛，分别参加了 2019 年英国议会制辩论全国赛（British Parliamentary Debate Nationals）以及 2020 年加拿大高中辩论全国赛（Canadian Senior Debate Nationals）。在高中毕业年，她还担任 Little Flower Academy 辩论队队长。她最难忘的辩论成绩包括：2019 年 BP Provincials 晋级决赛，以及 2020 年 Law Foundation Cup 获得第三名。

Kelly 已拥有超过七年的辩论教学经验，曾担任 FDT Lead Instructor，并作为 Head of Primary 参与 FDT 核心课程体系的建设与发展。除此之外，她也持续积极参与更广泛的辩论社群，并曾在不列颠哥伦比亚省辩论与演讲协会（Debate and Speech Association of British Columbia，DSABC）董事会任职，担任 Lower Mainland East Regional Coordinator。

Kelly 非常期待将自己对辩论的热爱、国际化视野以及高等教育领域的专业经验带给不同背景的学生。凭借她在大学招生领域的第一手经验，她希望帮助学生和家庭更清晰地理解美国及加拿大高等教育体系，打破常见误区，并赋能下一代学生在升学与未来发展中取得成功。

Alexander Beaumont

教师

当然，以下是专业、自然、适合 FDT 官网教师简介使用的简体中文版本：

Alexander 拥有超过 10 年的教学与辩论指导经验。他毕业于麦吉尔大学（McGill University），主修历史与加拿大研究，并辅修国际关系。

自 FDT 创立以来，Alexander 一直在学院教授演讲、辩论和模拟联合国（Model United Nations，MUN）课程，并指导过众多优秀学生，其中不少学生后来入选加拿大国家队，并在国际赛事中获得冠军。

Alexander 从高中时期便开始参加竞技辩论，并取得了多项重要成绩，包括 2012 年 European Open 冠军、2013 年 Heart of Europe 冠军，以及 2013 年 Canadian National Debate Seminar 冠军。进入大学后，他继续活跃于高水平竞技辩论领域，并于 2016 年夺得加拿大英国议会制辩论全国锦标赛（Canadian BP Debate National Championships）冠军，同时晋级 2016 年北美大学辩论锦标赛（North American University Debate Championships）决赛。此外，他还曾担任多项北美辩论赛事的首席评审。

凭借对辩论长期以来的热爱，Alexander 非常期待将自己丰富的顶尖赛事经验与成熟的教学成果带入课堂，并通过辩论帮助新一代学生建立自信、拓展思维，同时培养他们进行深入、有意义交流的能力。

Zachary Goldthorpe

教师

Zachary 毕业于 UBC 商学院，主修金融，辅修国际关系，专注于可持续发展和社会影响。他拥有超过 9 年的公共演讲和辩论竞赛经验，他高中的辩论队的队长。他教授大学水平的公共演讲课程，并在加拿大西部的 JDC West 的 UBC Sauder 团队中取得第一名。 Zachary 还参加了世界Scholar’s Cup 学者杯，在来自世界各地的近 1,600 名学生中个人排名第三。在过去的六年里，他继续指导数百名学生，帮助他们多次进入世界学者杯前10名，以及夺得四次世界学者杯世界冠军。他的学生赢得了无数国际演讲与辩论赛的冠军，其中一位在最近加入了加拿大国家演讲队和加拿大国家辩论队。Zachary 很高兴继续成为 FDT 的一员，他讲继续激励他的学生在辩论、公共演讲和学术方面达到更高的高度！

Noel Frederick

教师

Noel 拥有超过 5 年的教练经验和 12 年的辩论赛经验。在圣玛丽大学获得应用经济学硕士学位后，Noel 还获得了卡尔顿大学商法文学学士学位。 Noel 拥有指导英国议会辩论、加拿大全国辩论、世界学校辩论、加拿大议会辩论和美式公共论坛辩论的经验，并担任 FDT 公共论坛课程的首席教练。他曾担任南京外国语学校哈佛辩论项目、张家港常春藤国际学校辩论项目的首席辩论教练，带领学生在各个级别的比赛中取得佳绩，包括夺得NSDA China Nationals 2020最佳辩手，以及 2019-2021 年 NSDA 中国地区比赛的许多个人和团体冠军。作为一名辩手，Noel 有着傲人的战绩。2017年他打入Lord Dorchester辩论锦标赛决赛，2019年他进入 Seagrams锦标赛半决赛，并多次作为首席进入高中和大学锦标赛决赛。

Rody Visotski

教师

Rody 就读于卡尔加里大学，主修荣誉政治学和国际关系双学位，辅修法语和法律与社会。在过去的五年里，他作为辩手、裁判和教练积极活跃在辩论界。Rody 之前曾担任普林斯顿 IV、耶鲁 IV 和 WUDC 韩国等辩论赛的裁判。作为教练，Rody 教授了无数学生班课与私教课程，他的学生经常取得令人难以置信的成就：晋级Law Foundation Cup (BC省辩论省级赛)和初、高级组国家赛，赢得 Meadowridge，Burnaby 和 UBC HST 等辩论赛等等。他的学生在无数比赛中取得了令人印象深刻的团队或个人成绩，并通过演讲和辩论展示了他们的能力和信心的显著提高！作为常驻的模拟审判和模拟法庭教练，Rody 的学生在 Dominion Cup 和 Pacific Mock Trial 等比赛中被评为最佳证人和律师，甚至赢得了 2022 年高中模拟审判锦标赛。 Rody 在正式和非正式场合拥有超过 10 年的公共演讲经验，他很高兴能将他的知识和专长带到 FDT！

Nicholas Rees

Instructor

Nicholas is a student studying Physics and Maths at the University of British Columbia. He has been debating for the past seven years and competed in Canadian Nationals four times during high school, and also found success in Model UN at this time. Nicholas has continued debating in university and broke at large university tournaments, such as Western IV and Hart House IV. He is also in charge of several debate tournaments hosted by UBC. During his time at FDT, Nicholas has seen his students accomplish some great things, most recently with some advancing to Canadian Nationals in 2023. Nicholas believes people best improve at debate when they enjoy it, and he hopes he can help all of his students at FDT find their passion for debate as he has.

Moira O'Donoghue

Instructor

Moira has been involved in competitive debate and public speaking for over a decade, and this is her sixth year coaching with FDT. She has worked with students from beginner to international-level competition, including members of Team Canada Debate and Speech, and has also coached at The York School in Toronto for over three years. Moira has competed in and judged both French and English debate at the national level and has extensive experience judging and running debate tournaments at the high school and university levels. She is a graduate of the University of Toronto and was a member of the Hart House Debating Club. Moira now works in B2B enterprise sales, where she uses many of the skills she developed through debate. She was a shy kid when she first started debate and credits the activity with helping her become a confident speaker and person. She loves teaching debate and public speaking because it gives students the chance to think critically, express themselves, and develop skills that extend far beyond competition.

Anthony Galipeau

Instructor

Anthony is beginning his doctoral studies in International Economic Policy at Carleton University. With eight years of experience in debate, Anthony has experienced a number of debate formats, including British Parliamentary, Canadian Parliamentary, Canadian National Debate, and World Schools. He regularly adjudicates the Finals of national and international tournaments at the grade school, high school, and university level. As a fluent French speaker, Anthony has adjudicated bilingual debate rounds at provincial championships and taught debate lessons for francophone debaters. When competing as a debater, Anthony has reached the out rounds of tournaments like the Hart House IV and the University of Southern California IV. He has represented Carleton University at the World University Debating Championships in 2021 and 2023, ranking impressively both times. Anthony has cherished his time in FDT, and is excited to continue helping FDT students find their voice and achieve their dreams!

Ellen Li

Lead Instructor

Ellen is pursuing her JD at the University of British Columbia and also holds a BA in Political Science. Throughout her debate career, Ellen has travelled to numerous countries for competitive debate, and attended many international tournaments. Some highlights include: Top Three at the BC Qualifiers 2019, Champion Team and Speaker at UBC Falls 2019, Champion Team and Second Place Speaker at LMW Regionals 2019, and the breaking team at BP Nationals 2019. Ellen debated competitively for five years, and was also the co-captain of the Debate Club at Crofton House School in her senior year. She enjoys working with younger students, and–more importantly–enjoys spending her time watching each of her students flourish and grow into their most confident versions of themselves. Debate brings students across borders, cultures, and comfort zones–Ellen can’t wait to see where FDT’s debaters will end up!

Diya Perry

Instructor

Diya recently graduated with her Masters in Public Policy at Kings College London and is also an Honours graduate in Philosophy and Politics from Durham University. Beginning her fourth year instructing at FDT, Diya has nearly a decade of competitive public speaking and debating. At Durham, Diya headed the competitive debate society as a tournament organizer as well as a debate instructor for other students. Diya is excited to continue sharing her passion for speaking with students for another year at FDT!

Alice Xu

Instructor

Alice is currently enrolled in the Dual BA Program between Columbia University and Sciences Po where plans to pursue degrees in Political Science and International Relations. She’s been involved in debate for seven years, two of which she served as a member of Team Canada. As a speaker, Alice has won over thirty awards both nationally and internationally. She was the Champion of the NSDA US National Debating Championships and the British Parliamentary Provincial Championships. She has also reached the Semifinals at Harvard World Schools and the Canadian National Debating Championships. Furthermore, she has been named a Top 10 speaker at numerous Canadian events such as the Provincial Debating Championships and the Queens University Debating Championships. Alice is beyond excited to teach and learn from bright young minds at FDT.

Catherine Wang

Instructor

Catherine Wang is a student at the University of Toronto, pursuing a Master’s in Public Policy. Catherine has coached debate for a total of 7 years, beginning with coaching her highschool team whom she lead to become the number one highschool team in the region. She has experience coaching students aged 6-17 with experience levels ranging from beginner to advanced. Competitively, she has been involved in debate for over 9 years, competing at numerous tournaments. Notably, she has ranked as the two-time Regional Champion in the Lower Mainland, 1st place grade-divided speaker at the BC Provincial Championships, and UBC HST Finalist. Furthermore, Catherine appreciates the art of public speaking, having founded her high school’s slam poetry team and led them to victory in the PoetryInVoice Vancouver Championships

Rody Visotski

Instructor

Rody is a student at the University of Calgary pursuing a double major in Honours Political Science and International Relations, with minors in French and Law and Society. He has been actively involved in debate for the past five years as a debater, judge, and coach. Rody has previously been an adjudicator at tournaments such as the Princeton IV, Yale IV, and WUDC Korea. In his capacity as a coach, Rody has worked with countless students in group and private settings, and his students have often gone on to achieve incredible things, including qualifying for the Law Foundation Cup and Senior and Junior Nationals, winning tournaments such as Meadowridge, Burnaby, and UBC HST, posting impressive speaking results, and demonstrating drastic improvements in their capabilities and confidence with speech and debate! As the resident Mock Trial and Moot Court coach, Rody’s students have placed as Top Witnesses and Lawyers at tournaments such as the Dominion Cup and the Pacific Mock Trial, and even winning the 2022 High School Mock Trial Tournament. With over 10 years of public speaking experience in formal and informal circumstances, Rody is excited to bring his knowledge and expertise to FDT!

Noel Frederick

Instructor

Noel is a debate coach with over 5 years of coaching experience and 12 years of experience in competitive debate. Having completed a Master’s degree in Applied Economics at the University of Saint Mary’s, Noel has also received a Bachelor of Arts in Business Law from Carleton University. Noel has experience coaching British Parliamentary Debate, Canadian National Debate, World Schools Debate, Canadian Parliamentary Debate, and Public Forum Debate, and is acting as the lead coach of FDT’s Public Forum Program. He acted as the head debate teacher for the Harvard Debate Program at Nanjing Foreign Language School, and Zhangjiagang Ivy International School Debate Program, with his students having great success at all levels of competition, including coaching the top middle school speaker at NSDA China Nationals 2020, and many individual and team champions at NSDA China regional competitions between 2019-2021. As a debater, Noel had great competitive success, having reached the finals of the Lord Dorchester Debating Championships in 2017, and reaching the quarter-finals of the Seagrams Debating Championships in 2019, as well as being selected to chair numerous high school and university tournament finals.

Zachary Goldthorpe

Instructor

Zachary Goldthorpe is in his fifth and final year at the UBC Sauder School of Business, majoring in Finance with a minor in International Relations. He has over seven years of competitive public speaking and debate experience under his belt, leading his high school’s debate team, teaching a university-level public speaking course, and breaking first in Western Canada on the UBC Sauder team for JDC West. Zachary has also competed in the World Scholar’s Cup where he individually ranked 3rd place overall out of nearly 1,600 students from around the world. Since then, he has gone on to coach hundreds of students throughout the past four years, including multiple top 10 placements and four world champions in the World Scholar’s Cup, as well as countless international tournament winners in speech and debate. Zachary continues to inspire his students to reach greater heights in debating, public speaking, and academics and is excited to continue being a part of FDT!

Alexander Beaumont

Instructor

Alexander has over 10 years of coaching experience, having completed his degree in History & Canadian Studies at McGill University, with a minor in International Relations. Alexander has coached Speech, Debate, and Model UN with FDT since its inception, teaching many students who have gone on to be on Team Canada and win international tournaments. Debating throughout high school, Alexander was the champion of European Open 2012, Heart of Europe 2013, and Canadian National Debate Seminar 2013. While in university, Alexander continued to advance his debate skills, winning the 2016 Canadian BP Debate National Championships, and being a finalist at the 2016 North American University Debate Championships, as well as Chief Adjudicating many North American tournaments. Driven by a lifelong passion for the activity, Alexander can’t wait to bring his elite competitive background and proven coaching track record to his students and foster meaningful dialogue with the next generation of students.

Kelly Ho

Director of Student Success

Kelly holds a Master’s of Education (Ed.M) from Harvard University in Education Policy and Analysis, with a concentration in Higher Education alongside a Bachelor’s degree from UBC in Political Science and Law and Society. Following her graduate studies, Kelly served as an Admissions Advisor & Evaluation Officer at Pacific Lutheran University, gaining expertise across the complete admissions lifecycle. As a debater Kelly began her competitive debate journey with Little Flower Academy in the 10th grade under the guidance of FDT Academy as a student. In high school Kelly debated competitively for five years. She made nationals twice, firstly at the British Parliamentary Debate Nationals in 2019 and then at the Canadian Senior Debate Nationals in 2020. She also served as the Little Flower Academy Debate Captain in her senior year. Her favourite debate highlights are breaking as a finalist at BP Provincials in 2019 and placing third at the Law Foundation Cup in 2020! Kelly has been coaching for over 7 years, serving as a Lead Instructor as well as the Head of Primary contributing to FDT’s core curriculum. She has also remained engaged in the greater debate community by working with the board of Debate and Speech Association of British Columbia (DSABC) as the Lower Mainland East Regional Coordinator. Kelly is excited to have the opportunity to share her love for debate and global perspective with students of all backgrounds. Leveraging her insider expertise, she looks forward to breaking down the myths of U.S. and Canadian higher education and empowering the next generation to succeed.

Abigail Conrad

head Instructor

Abigail is currently studying law at the University of Calgary and holds a BA in international relations from UBC. Abigail first started debating ten years ago and has now been coaching for seven years. Her current and former students have won prestigious awards at many of the most competitive tournaments in both high school and university debate, including Harvard World Schools Invitational, Canadian National Championships (both junior and senior), US Nationals, the World Schools Debating Championships (WSDC) and the European University Debate Championships (EUDC). She coached Team Denmark for two years, including as its head coach at WSDC in Hanoi, Vietnam. 

Abigail also has extensive experience in leadership roles within the debate community, having previously served as the VP Bilingual and the VP Debate of the Alberta Debate and Speech Association and as the president of the UBC Debate Society. Abigail is also a successful competitive debater in her own right; in high school she was a semi-finalist at the 2020 Canadian National Debate Championships and third place speaker at the 2018 Harvard World Schools Debating Championship. As a university debater, Abigail won Hugill 2020, was a semi-finalist and the top speaker of Canadian Parliamentary Nationals 2022, and was a finalist at the 2023 Canadian BP Championships. Abigail enjoys helping high school debaters learn more about the world, enabling them to participate effectively in higher-level rounds of debate and helping to prepare them for university and beyond.

Noah Macdonald

head Instructor

Noah is currently pursuing a law degree at the Allard School of Law (UBC). He holds a Master’s degree and a BA (Hons.) in Philosophy, both from UBC. He has been debating since high school, where he won Top Speaker at the Canadian National Championships, and continued to compete throughout university, winning 9 intervarsity tournaments and 18 speaker awards (including two at national championships) before retiring from competition to focus on coaching.

Noah coached debate since 2017, and his students have gone on to win or top-speak at nearly every major national and international championship. They have taken gold at events including Junior and Senior CNDF Nationals, BP Nationals, US Nationals, Oxford Finals Day, the Stanford World Schools Invitational, and the World Schools Debating Championships (WSDC). More than a dozen of his students have earned spots on Team Canada, and many others have used their debating accolades to gain admission to highly competitive universities. His coaching roles have included serving as Training Director of the UBC Debate Society, Head Coach of the Danish National Debate Team, and Head Coach of Impact Debate Academy (which has now joined with FDT).

Outside the debate circuit, Noah is building a career in litigation. He has gained litigation experience at Hunter Litigation Chambers, advocates for clients through the Law Students’ Legal Advice Program, and will clerk at the BC Supreme Court after graduating law school. By integrating skills from legal advocacy, Noah’s coaching specializes in helping students learn argumentation and analysis. He also has formal training in pedagogy through UBC’s Centre for Teaching, Learning and Technology.

Noah works closely with each student to identify what will move them forward, focusing on making debate fun and engaging for each student. More than anything, he hopes to share his enthusiasm for debate and argumentation with the students he coaches.

Luna Wang

Assistant Director of Admissions

Luna graduated from the University of Toronto with a Master’s degree in Education. In her past roles as an ESL instructor, an instructional designer, and a guidance coordinator, the key values that have guided her actions include compassion, growth, and collaboration. She has a true passion for education and a deep interest in interacting with, serving for, and educating people with diverse cultural backgrounds. As the Associate Director of Admissions at FDT, Luna hopes to build and maintain trustworthy relationships with families and students.

Ghazal Habib

Director of Operations

Ghazal joined FDT in 2018 as the Director of Operations. Having been involved in business operations for nearly a decade, Ghazal has vast experience in program development, human resources and process optimization. 

With a Master’s in Policy and Management, Ghazal spent nearly five years creating and delivering international programming in the regions of East Africa and the South Pacific. With a passion for working with people, Ghazal enjoys contributing to FDT’s growing community of students and educators.

Cathy Cena

Director of Admissions

With over 30 years of experience in sales and marketing, Cathy brings a wealth of business experience to FDT. She is passionate about giving parents and students the FDT experience and believes in enriching the lives of students through speech. Debate and speech are life long skills for students in all facets of their life from elementary school to university. When Cathy is not meeting with parents, she can be found planning events. She is an avid volunteer and the President of the Optimist Club, Past President of the Arts Center, and most recently wrote a book. Please email her anytime to find out more about FDT Academy!

Tonya Cena

Academy Manager

Tonya has managed FDT Academy for the past decade and is a pivotal part of the team. She is the go-to person for all student and parent inquiries, tournament preparation steps, and much more! Tonya has travelled to various places around the world, bringing debaters to tournaments in truly stunning locations, including Cape Town and Bangkok. She is excited to see where FDT will take her next!

Chelli Shapiro

director of public speaking

Chelli recently graduated with a Master’s in Political Science at McGill University, where she specializes in federalism, extractive populism, and the politics of framing. As a seasoned competitor she has over a decade of experience in public speaking, debate, and Model United Nations (MUN), she was Alberta’s top-place delegate for the 2018 Canada’s National Debate Team tryouts and earned the 2019 Janet Garten Award for her dedication to debate. In 2016, she was the first alternate for Team Canada Speech. Chelli’s coaching highlights include guiding the Canadian Public Speaking Champion to victory and mentoring students who excelled at Public Speech Worlds. She is excited to bring her experience in politics, research, and her passion for creativity and confidence-building into her seventh year of coaching at FDT.

Behbod Negahban

Head of Curriculum

With a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Yale College, Behbod has coached debate at the highest level for over a decade, with many students among the top ten speakers of the World Schools Debating Championships. A former member of the Canadian national debate team himself, he won the 2014 Pan-American and 2012 EurOpen Debating Championships, and reached the semifinals of the World School’s Debating Championships in 2014. Outside of debate, Behbod has experience in academic research, journalism, and governmental affairs, including work experience in Washington, DC. He is completing a Master’s degree in history at McGill University. 

Arsalan Ghaemi

Director of Debate

Arsalan has over a decade of experience competing in and coaching debate. As FDT’s Director of Debate, he has developed a strong reputation amongst his students, as many of them have won events at the regional, provincial and international level. Arsalan is a coach of the National Canadian Debate Team, Head Coach of Debate at St. George’s School in Vancouver and is an alumnus of the University of British Columbia. With a degree in Honours Political Science. Arsalan is excited to continue working with FDT students and helping them find their voice.

Dena Tabyanian

director of education

Our Director of Education has been coaching for thirteen years. She was on Team Canada herself as a debater in high school, which is the highest level of debate that can be achieved as a high school student. She coached speech and debate at Crofton House School for seven years and coached Team Denmark for five years. She received her Masters’ degree in Education in England and for the last nine years she’s been coaching competitive students, many of whom have ended up on Team Canada for speech and debate. She is in charge of teaching and learning at the academy, teaches only our highest level classes, and takes on a limited number of private students.

Frankie Cena

FOUNDING DIRECTOR

Frankie began his debate coaching career at his former public high school, where he coached a group of debaters who cemented the school’s reputation as one of the best debate schools in the Lower Mainland.

In 2011, Frankie was named the Head Speech and Debate Coach of Crofton House School and trained numerous students to win Regional, Provincial, National, and International Championships. His breakthrough moment was when he brought 9 of his top students to the Czech Republic, where they defied expectations and advanced to the final round. Frankie’s students have won the EurOpen Championship in Germany, the Vancouver Regional Debate Championship, the Provincial Law Foundation Cup, the Heart of Europe Championship, the UBC Debate Tournament, the International Competition for Young Debaters at Cambridge University, and more.

One of Frankie’s personal goals was realized when the Danish School Board selected him to coach the National Debate Team of Denmark. In a matter of just a few years, that team grew to become one of the most competitive in the world.

In 2016 Frankie founded FDT Academy, a true culmination of all of his experiences as a debater and esteemed coach. Frankie also works as a keynote speaker, performer, and TV Host.