Our Team
Civic Voices Institute is powered by an international dedicated team of volunteer coaches who are passionate about nurturing the next generation of writers, debaters, and public speakers. Our team comprises of both American and Canadian high school students who understand youth audiences and bring their expertise in writing, debate, and public speaking to guide and mentor elementary and middle school students.
USA BRANCH
JOYEE GOH
FOUNDER
FOUNDING DIRECTOR OF CVI USA BRANCH
Since first entering the competitive debate world, Joy has built an impressive and wide-ranging track record across high-profile circuits. With standout performances at tournaments such as Harvard Forensics, the World Scholar’s Cup, and a championship title at UC Berkeley, she has established herself as a sharp, dynamic speaker. She specializes in Congressional Debate, where her command of rhetoric, policy nuance, and cross-examination consistently sets her apart. She is also highly proficient in impromptu formats like SPAR and extemporaneous speaking. Outside of debate, Joy is drawn to philosophical and political texts, which often inform her arguments with a deeper sense of empathy and complexity. She also has a deep appreciation for the arts, particularly portraiture, and when she’s not reading, drawing, or writing, you’ll likely find her grounded in nature: watching the sunset, writing by the lake, or just catching her breath between the chaos. For Joy, debate isn’t just about winning rounds, but more of understanding people, defending ideas, and growing into the kind of voice that creates impact.
ACHIEVEMENTS/QUALIFICATIONS:
- 1st place Champion in UC Berkeley Congressional Debate 2024
- Top 5 Writers, Top 12 Debaters (Out of 900+) in World Scholars Cup
- Bay Area Championship Top 3 Impromptu Speakers, 2nd place Cal Invitational UCB 2025
JOSH ZHOU
DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC FORUM
Josh is a California based sophomore debater at Vancouver Debate Academy and has attended numerous tournaments in his long run on the international debate stage. In the 24-25 season, he was ranked among the top freshmen by NDCA Averill points along with several accolades from top-ranked Ivy League tournaments. He is currently ranked 49th in the nation by DebateDrills with 8 bids to the Tournament of Champions. Josh specializes in soft left cases and traditional tech. Even off-duty, he is constantly working to improve himself and up-lift those around him to be the best they can. Josh is excited to meet everyone and have a fun season!
ACHIEVEMENTS/QUALIFICATIONS:
- Top 16 out of 284 at the UK Season Opener in 2025
- Top 16 out of 372 at the Harvard National Speech and Debate Tournament
- Quarterfinalist at the Peach State Classic and 2x Quarterfinalist at the Milo Cup
Brayden Zhao
Brayden Zhao brings three years of debate experience, including two years competing on the national circuit. He has developed a strong foundation across a wide range of styles, from lay and flay debate to highly technical and progressive arguments. With this versatility, Brayden understands how to adapt strategies to different judging pools and debate formats, making him a well-rounded resource for debaters at any level. His passion for debate and breadth of competitive experience allow him to help students build skills, confidence, and adaptability in both traditional and progressive debate settings.
ACHIEVEMENTS:
TFA State Double-octofinalist
UK season opener top 20 speaker
Quarterfinalist @ University of Houston
Kushi Hosahalli
Kushi has participated in public speaking for over seven years, and has been coaching for over four. She started as a public speaking coach at the NorthSouth Foundation and was later recruited to teach at SpeechPundit, a similar public speaking platform. At SpeechPundit she focuses on coaching extemporaneous speaking, but has pursued other endeavors such as the TEDx Intensive she created this summer. Kushi is also actively engaged in the TEDx community, having completed her first published TEDx talk titled “Changing the Stereotype; ABCD” her freshman year. She also acts as the BISV TEDx event co-producer where she works with students to help craft their narratives and share their own ideas to the world.
ACHIEVEMENTS:
Attorney on the Santa Clara County Peer Court | Stanford Pre-Law Distinguished Attorney Award at Intensive Law and Trial
Two times global debate champion at the World Scholars Cup Global rounds in Xiamen and Dalian
Two TEDx speeches, one published at Basis Independent, and the second which is currently in publishing at Sacred Heart
Henna Timbadia
Henna has been doing speech and debate for three years now, having experience in completing various divisions such as SPAR, Impromptu, and best of all, Congressional Debate. She strikes people as powerful and rapid in delivery of arguments, being able to quickly shut down tough cross examination questions. Her humor paired with her ability to adapt makes her classes engaging and creative. With a capability like hers, Henna is a coach that will be able to train younger students into shape in no time.
ACHIEVEMENTS:
Champion in SPAR Debate at Cal State Fullerton MS and HS Invitational
Top 10 in 2025 state debate competitions at UC Berkeley
Top 10 in 2025 Tournament of Champions (TOC)
Ved Vatsya
Ved is a rising junior at Council Rock High School North who has been debating for over 2 years on both his local Pennsylvania circuit and the national circuit. He has competed at many prestigious tournaments with success and has developed a better understanding of the inner workings of Public Forum. Ved is currently ranked 26th in the nation. He also has 3+ years of experience as a teacher at various institutions in many different subjects. Ved is constantly working to further develop his skills and will continue to work and learn alongside you. Ved hopes to have a great year with all of you!
ACHIEVEMENTS:
UPenn Liberty Bell Classic - Quarterfinalist, Gold Bid
2025 TOC - Octafinalist
2025 TOC Digital Series 2 - Octofinalist, Silver Bid
Ava Zahtila
Ava is a rising Junior at Summit High School in New Jersey and has been competing on the national circuit since 2023. In her sophomore season, she qualified for the Silver Tournament of Champions in Public Forum with two bids and numerous speaker awards. Ava is familiar with almost all styles of debate, but is most comfortable with lay and k debate. Outside of CVI, Ava serves as the chair of Public Forum at Summit and helps run a debate program at local libraries
ACHIEVEMENTS:
Octofinalist and bid at the Ridge Debates
Double-octofinalist, bid and sixth speaker at the Princeton Classic.
Quarterfinalist at the New Jersey District Tournament
Eti Yang
Eti is a sophomore debater at the Nueva School in Northern California and has been an integral part of the debate community since joining Public Forum last year. In his freshman year, Eti qualified for the Silver Tournament of Champions in Public Forum, and he has been ranked among the top debaters in his graduation year. He octofinalled the Stanford Invitational in 2025 and quarterfinalled the Stephen Stewart Invitational in 2024. Outside of debate, Eti plays the piano at a high level and plays tennis.
ACHIEVEMENTS:
Stanford Invitational: Octofinalist, Gold Bid
Stephen Stewart Invitational: Quarterfinalist, Gold Bid
Jack Howe Memorial: Triple octofinalist
Eric Cheng
Eric Cheng is a junior at Canyon Crest Academy in Southern California, finding success on both the local and national circuits. In his 2024-25 season, Eric partially qualified to the Policy Tournament of Champions, receiving his bid at the Meadows School Invitational. Eric has had a over 60% win rate and a 62.5 break rate, placing him among the top in his grad year. At Canyon Crest, Eric serves as secretary of the debate club and captain of the policy team. He specializes in teaching K debate.
ACHIEVEMENTS:
Meadows Invitational: Quarters, full bid
LCC Winter Classic: Quarters, bid round
Peninsula Invitational: Octos, bid round
Blair Shao
Blair is a sophomore at Lakeville North High School in Minneapolis and has been in the debate circuit for two years. She qualified to the Silver Tournament of Champions in her freshman year with a full bid at the Badgerland Invitational and a silver bid at the Paradigm. Even in Middle School, Blair remained competitive against high schoolers, debating in high school circuits as early as the seventh grade.
ACHIEVEMENTS:
Badgerland Invitational: Octofinalist, Gold Bid
Paradigm: Octofinalist, Silver Bid
Minnesota State Tournament: Octofinalist
Ved Kusurkar
TBA
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CANADA BRANCH
SHANNON ZHU
FOUNDING DIRECTOR OF CVI CANADA BRANCH
After first moving to Canada in 2021, Shannon has been competitively debating with NSDA Noble 9 Club’s BC Forensic League, winning over 75+ awards across all spheres of debate in that period of time. She primarily competes in Public Forum Debate but has also achieved experience with styles like Mock Trials, Model United Nations, Business Case, World Scholar’s Cup and Canadian National Debate Format just to name a few. Addicted to trying out new experiences and formats she has declared she wishes to “collect them all” like debate Pokémon. Additionally she’s entered and won several writing competitions in categories like poetry, essay writing and fictional storytelling. Shannon has been coaching English Language Arts/Debate through many different programs for 2+ years, specializing in students with low/zero English comprehension.
ACHIEVEMENTS:
CAHSLAW Mock Trial Competition 2024 - Best Lawyer Award (in her first year attending)
Harvard Debate Council Public Forum Competition 2024 - Quarterfinalist
BC Forensics League - Debater of the Year Recipient 2025
Irene Feng
Irene has been coaching for one year, and counting. While simultaneously competing with BC Forensics League and Walnut Grove Secondary School for 2 years. She is currently on the English writing honours stream, as well as having competed in several writing competitions. Irene specializes in public speaking and several styles of debate, most notably Public Forum and Canadian National Debate Format.
ACHIEVEMENTS:
Canadian Lower Mainland East Regionals Champion (Cross Examination + Canadian National Debate Format)
UC Berkeley Public Forum 2025 Finalist/Top 7 Speaker Awardee
MSDT Fall 2024 3rd Place Champion Team (Canadian National Debate Format)
Marcus Zhang
Marcus is a rising sophomore who currently debates at the Vancouver Debate Academy. He has done Canadian National Debate for four years, but currently focuses on Public Forum and Policy debate, where he has won several awards at multiple tournaments. He also has multiple seasons of experience in coaching and directing debate curriculum at various organizations located in and out of Vancouver. Marcus is always trying to provide his best and most informative constructive feedback to all his students in most elements of debate, while always still maintaining a calm yet rigorous environment in his classes!
ACHIEVEMENTS:
2025 39th Stanford Invitational - Finalists + 3rd speaker
2023 Peach State Classic - Co-champions + 5th speaker
2024 Harvard Fall Intl - Quarterfinalists
Julia Sung
Julia is a passionate and accomplished debater actively involved in the Vancouver debate circuit. With over two years of competitive experience, she has earned numerous awards and gained deep insight into the art of argumentation. Beyond her own success, Julia is also a skilled and dedicated coach, known for her strong leadership and ability to inspire growth in others. She has coached for multiple institutions in her career, demonstrating her expertise and commitment to nurturing the next generation of debaters.
ACHIEVEMENTS:
Finalist at UC Berkley PF Tournament / Top 2nd debater Award
1st place Team&Speaker at Seattle University Debate Tournament.
Top 5 Debate Team at Global World Scholars Cup
Samuel Chen
Samuel is a passionate and experienced debate coach currently based in Vancouver. During his time as a debater, he has competed at numerous prestigious tournaments and won various notable awards during this period. Samuel has gone head-to-head against various national teams and come out on top, while simultaneously battling with sleep deprivation during overnight tournaments. Samuel has taught multiple formats of debate over his one year experience as a coach, including World Schools Debate, Canadian National Debate Format, and British Parliamentary.
ACHIEVEMENTS:
Cal Invitational UC Berkeley Octofinalist and 8th team
Malaysia WSDC 2025 Finalist and 7th open team
Vancouver WSDC 2025 Quarterfinalist and 2nd overall open speaker
Kaya Voyce
Kaya is an enthusiastic and accomplished debater, writer, and teacher who is actively involved in both her local community and the greater Vancouver area. She is always seeking to expand her skills by constantly participating in events such as Youth Justice Link, Camp Justice (JES), ISABC Energy Management/Leadership Seminars, and numerous Model United Nations conferences, among others. She is also extremely interested in the legal system and strives to one day become a Corporate Lawyer, which she works toward by improving access to Justice through her position in the Youth Justice Committee (Hosted by the official Justice Education Society of BC).
1. Model United Nations Awarded Most Honorable Delegate
2. Winner of Camp Justice 2025 Mock Trial (hosted by the official Justice Education Society of BC)
3. Humanities Honour Award
Ela Ponnachana
Ela is an accomplished and highly prolific writer who has demonstrated exceptional discipline and distinction in poetry and formal prose since 2020, with particular expertise in classical and Old-English inspired literary traditions. Her work has achieved significant international recognition, with over 650+ poems published in literary magazines worldwide and over 20+ Editors’ Choice Awards for poetry. She has also authored and published collections of Old-English poetry across global Amazon platforms has demonstrated extensive experience in writing, with a primary focus on poetry and formal prose since 2020. Through her work, she has cultivated strong skills in structured writing, critical expression, and mentorship. In her free time, Ela enjoys épée fencing and playing the violin.
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Initiator of a self-led fundraising campaign for the Ukraine War Crisis, involving a sonnet, poster, presentation, and donation coordination through a self-established collection drive.
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“She Who Rises: A Symphony of Strength and Light” poem framed for public display at the Surrey Women's Centre (2025)
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“She Who Rises: A Symphony of Strength and Light” was also published in the Surrey Women's Centre's R&R Zine, further recognizing Ela's literary contribution to women's empowerment
INDONESIA BRANCH
AMANDA SHANIKA HARAHAP
FOUNDING DIRECTOR OF CVI INDONESIA BRANCH
Amanda is an extremely talented debater and writer, having done 4yrs of competitive debate through various formats such as World Scholars Cup (WSC), Model United Nations (MUN), and various other international competitions. She frequently challenges herself with a variety of complex debate formats on an international level while also developing superb writing skills. She has gone through 3years of competitive writing (fiction, research, essays, advocacy writing), paired with 2 years coaching experience related to regional public speaking and other volunteering initiatives.
ACHIEVEMENTS:
UNESCO World Youth Essay Champion
Top 2 Debate, Top 4 Writing (Out of 1000+) in World Scholars Cup
Top 5 in Asia Continental International Debate Competition
Eiffel Leonardi
Celine Alexandria Leonardi
Bianca Milan Leonardi
Richelle Lesmana
Eiffel Leonardi is a passionate and articulate communicator with four years of competitive debate experience, spanning the World Scholar’s Cup, Model United Nations, and both local and international tournaments. A versatile writer with four years of advanced practice in short stories, poetry, essays, fiction, and expository pieces, she brings creativity and precision to every project. With two years of coaching experience in both writing and debate, Eiffel has also excelled in local impromptu and extemporaneous speaking, as well as community-based journalism and advocacy, where her voice champions clarity, empathy, and impact.
ACHIEVEMENTS:
1st Place Debate Team, 2nd Place Overall Scholar (out of 1000+) in World Scholars Cup Finalist
The Bennington Young Writers Awards (Fiction Category)
Shortlisted - The Bath Novel Awards (UNESCO)
Celine Alexandria Leonardi is an accomplished debater and writer with top finishes at the World Scholar’s Cup and Asian Schools AP. She has ranked among the top 10% internationally, earning numerous medals and trophies in debate, collaborative writing, and team competitions, including appearances at the Tournament of Champions at Yale University. Skilled in both World Scholar’s Cup and Asian Parliamentary formats, Celine also mentors younger students, combining her passion for debate, writing, and creativity to inspire others.
ACHIEVEMENTS:
1st Place Scholars Challenge Team, 2nd Place Overall Junior Team — World Scholar’s Cup 2025 Jakarta
Quarterfinalist, Top 2 Team Finalist (Prelims), Top 7 Team Overall in Asia — Asian Schools AP 2025
Debate Team Gold Medal, 87th Overall Scholar (out of 1000+ competitors) — World Scholar’s Cup Tournament of Champions, Yale University 2024
Bianca Milan Leonardi is a distinguished debater, writer, and mentor with years of international competitive experience. She has represented Indonesia at the World Scholar’s Cup from regional rounds to the Tournament of Champions at Yale University, consistently placing in the top 10% worldwide. Celine is skilled in multiple debate styles — from World Scholar’s Cup to Asian Parliamentary and MUN — and has earned top finishes across writing, team debate, and collaborative events. Beyond competition, she coaches younger debaters, serves in leadership roles at school, and contributes to service initiatives and creative projects that combine her passions for public speaking, writing, and community impact.
ACHIEVEMENTS:
Top 7 Team Overall in Asia In Asian Schools AP 2025, named Best Team Speaker
1st Place Scholars Challenge Team — 2025 World Scholar’s Cup
1st Place in the Country High Score — 2024 World Scholar’s Cup Seoul Global Round
Richelle Lesmana is an experienced debater, writer, and public speaker with a versatile background in academics and performance. She has competed in debate for two years, including the World Scholar’s Cup at both local and international levels. Beyond debate, Richelle has over four years of writing experience across fiction, essays, poetry, and short stories, along with more than six years in public speaking, where she has served as MC for major events. With over two years of coaching experience, she has tutored students in debate and guided them through the World Scholar’s Cup curriculum, combining her skills in communication and mentorship to help younger scholars succeed.
ACHIEVEMENTS:
8th place overall team (out of 1000+ participants) World Scholars Cup
Honourable Mention - Indonesia Creative Writing Challenge 2024
Finalist - Southeast Asia Youth Debate Invitational 2025
Samantha Aimee Ferdinan
Samantha is a skilled debater and leader with experience at the World Scholar’s Cup and Asian Schools AP. She has qualified multiple times for Global Rounds and the Tournament of Champions, earning medals in debate, writing, and team events, including a Top 3 Overall Team finish and Top 11 Individual Speaker award at Asian Schools AP 2025. Beyond competition, Samantha has served as Class President, Student Council leader, and MUN participant, combining her strengths in public speaking, teamwork, and youth leadership.
ACHIEVEMENTS:
Asian Schools AP (2025) – Top 3 Team Qualifier Overall + Top 11 Individual Speaker
World Scholar’s Cup Jakarta 2025 – 38th Gold Medal in Team Debate + 8th Place Junior Team
World Scholar’s Cup Jakarta – 24th Place Overall Scholar out of hundreds of competitors