MEET OUR
Coaches
MAGGIE WOODWARD
SPEECH & CONGRESS COACH & WRITING TUTOR
Maggie has been involved in the Speech & Debate community since 2004. As a high school student, she competed in several different events such as Original Oratory, Duo Interp, and Lincoln Douglas Debate. She attained numerous final round trophies from local and national tournaments around the country. Maggie was the 2008 Tennessee State Champion and a National Speech & Debate Association semi finalist in Original Oratory.
While completing her Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing & English, she competed in Persuasion and Informative for Western Kentucky University's nationally-ranked collegiate Speech & Debate team. In 2017, she earned her Masters of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from the University of Mississippi and in 2022 earned a 2nd Masters in Cinema and Media Studies at the University of Southern California.
During the summer, Maggie works as the Director of ISD's Oratory and Informative Speaking division.
Students she have coached have been finalists or champions at some of the biggest tournaments in the Nation in events such as Congressional Debate, Original Oratory, Extemporaneous, and Informative at Yale, Harvard, Emory, the Tournament of Champions, Wake Forest, Bronx Science, and the grand Nationals Speech & Debate tournament. In 2019, Maggie coached the NSDA Champion and TOC Champion in Congressional Debate. In 2020, she coached the CA State Champion in OA. In 2024, she coached the 5th Place NSDA finalist in Expository speaking. Maggie is proud to be an assistant coach at Flintridge Preparatory and at Westridge School.
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Event Specialties: Original Oratory, Informative, Congressional Debate, Extemporaneous, Poetry, Spoken Word, Advocacy, Impromptu, and Writing
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POEMA OLEAS MEKHITARIAN
SPEECH & DEBATE COACH
Poema began participating in speech & debate in 2017 when she joined the Pasadena City College's speech & debate team. She competed in Parliamentary Debate and International Public Debate, winning double gold at both the State tournament and the Nationals. She won multiple tournaments and consistently received best speaker, including 8th place overall best speaker in the Nation. She contributed to the historical results that led Pasadena City College to receive their first ever Perpetual Sweepstakes Award.
Her interest was initially sparked when she took on the leadership role of Secretary in the External Affairs Committee and lobbied around the United States. The position taught her the organization and research skills needed for understanding policy and advocating for student rights. This translated well to the college debate circuit as she continued to hone in on her research and advocacy skill sets.
After competing, Poema became a speech & debate tutor on campus, teaching students of all levels in various events.
Aside from debate, Poema has a passion for working with children. Her first job was at a preschool and has since continued in that direction. She was a Gallery Facilitator for the Education Department at LACMA and most recently an aid for autistic children of all ages. She is excited to continue to help kids with the skills needed to enjoy and succeed in Speech & Debate.
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Event Specialties: Parliamentary Debate, Lincoln Douglas, Public Forum, Impromptu, SPAR and speech delivery for Declamation, Oratory, and Informative
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MAYA ORIGEL
SPEECH COACH & WRITING TUTOR
Maya has been involved in the speech and debate community since the eighth grade, bringing nearly a decade of experience in forensics. She got her start competing at Gabrielino High School, where she focused on Dramatic Interpretation (DI) and Program Oral Interpretation (POI). Over the years, she has competed at both state and national levels in high school and college, earning distinctions such as 3rd place at the National Forensic Association (NFA) Tournament, a silver medal at the Phi Rho Pi National Tournament, and 3rd place at the State Championships during her collegiate career.
Maya went on to study at San Francisco State University, where she earned her degree in Communicative Disorders. She has worked with a wide range of students across different age groups, including as a lead preschool teacher, an assistant speech and debate coach at Westridge School, and an instructor at Polytechnic School’s summer program (PolySummer), where she teaches art history and public speaking. She also has experience working with children of varying abilities, creating personalized curriculum to help strengthen their writing and communication skills.
In addition to her speech and debate background, Maya has a strong passion for the performing arts. She has participated in several plays, taken part in and assisted in teaching on-screen acting intensives, and is classically trained in opera. She brings these experiences into her teaching to make learning more engaging, creative, and dynamic. She has also worked as an aide for children with special needs, with a focus on enriching students’ lives through art, music, and performance.
Maya cares deeply about building meaningful connections with her students and creating an inclusive, supportive environment. She enjoys working with students from all backgrounds and is passionate about helping them grow in confidence, creativity, and self-expression.
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Event Specialties: Dramatic Interp, Humorous Interp, Duo Interp, Program Oral Interp, Storytelling, Prose, Poetry, Original Oratory, Impromptu, Informative, Creative Writing, and Essay Writing
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EDWARD RUMBOS-PEREZ
ONLINE DEBATE COACH
Edward has been involved with Speech and Debate since he joined his middle school’s MSPDP team in 2014. Edward continued competing for Claremont High School where he focused on Parliamentary Debate and Extemporaneous Speaking. While there, he also competed in Impromptu Speaking, Original Oratory, Congressional Debate, Public Forum Debate, World Schools Debate, and Big Questions. In both his Junior and Senior years of high school, he qualified to the California State Tournament, NSDA National Speech & Debate Tournament, and NPDL Tournament of Champions.
Edward graduated from the University of California, Berkeley in Legal Studies and Hispanic Linguistics with a minor in History. On campus, he’s a board member for the Student Immigration Relief Clinic. Edward also works as a legal assistant in San Francisco with aspirations of attending Law School in the future.
Edward started coaching in high school when volunteered as a coach and judge for his former middle school. He also mentored in Claremont High School’s summer Speech and Debate bootcamps from 2017-2019. These experiences developed his passion for coaching which led him to become an assistant coach to two top high schools in Los Angeles.
Edward has coached several students to State and National Qualifiers in Lincoln Douglas debate and Parliamentary Debate. He looks forward to working with you as part of the S&D Institute crew.
Event Specialties: Parliamentary Debate, Lincoln Douglas Debate, MSPDP Debate, Public Forum Debate, Congressional Debate, Worlds Debate, Extemporaneous, Original Oratory, and Advocacy
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TANYA EVERETT
SPEECH COACH & WRITING TUTOR
Tanya Everett is an award winning writer and performer in Los Angeles. As a high school student, she was a member of the acclaimed speech team at Milton Academy qualifying for Nationals multiple times while competing in Declamation, Dramatic Interpretation, Duo and Poetry events. Not only was she a finalist in several local Massachusetts tournaments, she also placed top at Nationals. Now, Tanya is a devoted speech & debate coach to elementary, middle school, and high school students. In 2025, she led a middle school team to NSDA Nationals in Des Moines, IA, coaching finalists in Dramatic Interpretation, Original Oratory and Impromptu.
Public speaking is a passion of Tanya’s and she recently delivered a TEDx Talk: Learning The Grief Dance, an exploration of her history with dance and loss. She earned her MFA in Playwriting from Brooklyn College and her undergrad degree from Columbia University. She has performed and taught extensively throughout New York, as well as in Poland, Korea and England offering classes in debate, creative writing, playwriting and theater for students of all ages. With her specialty in writing, Tanya’s plays have been produced in numerous Off Broadway venues, including the Public Theater. She is also a member of the Writers Guild, and has worked extensively in TV and Film. She believes in the power of healing through artistry. Tanya brings her creativity and years of teaching experience to the Speech and Debate Institute.
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Event Specialties: Dramatic Interp, Declamation, Storytelling, Duo Interp, Impromptu, Creative Writing, Play Writing, Essay Writing, Acting, Auditions
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TIFFANY DUNIA
SPEECH & DEBATE COACH
Tiffany has been actively involved in the speech & debate community since 2011. After competing for 7 years in speech & debate, she has spent the last 6 years coaching and judging for various programs. During her competition years, Tiffany competed in a wide range of events including Policy Debate, Lincoln Douglas Debate, Parliamentary Debate, Duo Interpretation, Storytelling, Impromptu, Original Oratory, and Dramatic Interpretation.
As a competitor, Tiffany reached the final round in speech with the NCH all 4 years of high school and won multiple debate awards as well. Most notably, she placed twice among the top 3 speakers at Nationals. Additionally, in her senior year, Tiffany achieved a 6-0 preliminary record in Lincoln Douglas Debate at Nationals.
Tiffany served as an assistant coach for her team, working to train students who were new to competition. Since then, she has coached students from elementary age through high school. Her specialty would be teaching debate students how to properly communicate to their judges their arguments.
Whether in one-on-one coaching, team practices or teaching and lecturing in a classroom, Tiffany strives to equip her students with effective communication skills, a logical approach to their arguments, and deep confidence. She is a firm believer that speech & debate, at its core, is a simple concept that anyone can understand, participate in, and enjoy. She is excited to help more students discover this joy at the Speech & Debate Institute.
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Event Specialties: Parliamentary, Lincoln Douglas, Public Forum, Impromptu, Extemporaneous, Dramatic Interp, Storytelling, Humorous Interp, Duo interp, Informative Speaking, Original Oratory, Declamation, and SPAR
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https://calendly.com/tiffany-dunia
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CAMERON COOLIDGE
SPEECH & DEBATE COACH
Cameron Coolidge began his involvement with speech & debate in 2018, joining La Salle College Preparatory’s team where he participated throughout his high school career. During that time, he competed in a variety of events including Original Oratory Informative, Dramatic Interpretation, and Duo Interpretation. Cameron reached final rounds at numerous high level tournaments and advanced to quarterfinals at both the NIETOC and TOC national tournaments. Currently, Cameron is pursuing his Bachelor’s degree in Political Economy at the University of Southern California, where he is also a member of the British Parliamentary team, a rigorous debate event, that further fosters his enthusiasm for debate.
Cameron has a plethora of experience working with children as a Camp Owatonna counselor where he was a certified lifeguard, archery and fishing instructor. These experiences have given him the expertise necessary to work with children of all ages, and to aid in teaching them impactful and profound skills. Cameron believes that argumentation and effective orating skills are integral to an individual’s confidence and that each student has the total ability to succeed and is fully committed to helping them improve in all aspects of their speaking skills. He is kind, understanding and enthusiastic in his teaching methods, and is excited to continue to help students become their best selves in speech & debate.
Event Specialties: Dramatic Interpretation, Duo Interpretation, Informative, Original Oratory, Declamation, Parliamentary Debate, Public Forum
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https://calendly.com/cameronc232589
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EDWARD HAMEL
WRITING TUTOR
Edward started tutoring English while getting his undergraduate degree. When living in Italy as part of a study abroad program, he taught English to foreign students. After finishing his undergraduate degree, he was accepted into a Masters of Fine Arts writing program in Los Angeles. During his MFA, Edward tutored students from 4th through 12th grade in English, Writing, and test taking (including ISEE, PSAT, and SAT), helping many student gain confidence in their writing skills.
After graduating with his MFA in writing, Edward's work has since been published, produced, and can be seen in short and feature film projects, including several non-fiction podcasts. Eventually his work landed him Story Producing roles for networks like National Geographic, A&E, as well as History and Discovery. Currently, he works for a tech company writing narrative story and learning experiences for corporate clientele.
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Specialties: Essay writing, creative writing, film script writing, and high school and college application essays
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SpeechandDebateInstitute@gmail.com
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ALISON KALMUS
SPEECH COACH, ACTING & WRITING TUTOR
Alison has been part of the speech & debate community for over 12 years coaching students at the local, state, and national level. Additionally, she has been teaching students for over 30 years in a diverse amount of subject areas including English Language Arts, Theatre, History, and test preparation.
Alison studied English at the University of CA at Santa Barbara, and after became a copy and proposal writer for marketing research. She later advanced to business engagement supervisor for Plog Research. Alison also wrote a proposal earning the City of Sierra Madre the National Civic League's All-American City Award.
She has partnered with Pasadena Polytechnic School to develop a multi-grade youth acting curriculum, supervising teachers and teaching throughout LA County schools. She has also initiated a theatre and musical arts education program at the Sierra Madre Playhouse, which continues to thrive.
Alison has national and international professional experience directing, producing, and performing in theatre, opera, and film. As a teacher, her students have been cast in starring roles in television, film, and theatre.
Using her background in education and acting, she has nurtured students' talents in speech & debate. Alison has coached several students to top-tier placements at tournaments like CA Middle School State, The Stanford Online Invitational, and the National Online Forensics Tournament.
She believes in the potential of every student and is dedicated to working with a diverse community of youth to help bring out their best.
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Event Specialties: Creative Writing, Essay Writing, Acting, Auditions, Storytelling, Dramatic Interp, Declamation and SPAR
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MADISON LIN
SPEECH COACH
Madison Lin has been involved in speech and debate since 2016, beginning her journey in middle school at Westridge and continuing throughout high school at Flintridge Preparatory School. She primarily competed in interpretation events, including Humorous Interpretation, Dramatic Interpretation, and Program Oral Interpretation (POI), and has also participated in Public Forum and Congressional Debate. Madison competed at major national tournaments, including Berkeley and Arizona State, gaining wide-ranging experience across event types and competitive circuits.
She is currently pursuing her Bachelor’s degree at the University of Southern California, where she is actively involved in academic and campus life. She serves on student organization boards and participates in a variety of campus events. Her passion for education extends beyond competition. Madison has worked as a teacher’s assistant in local schools and as a camp counselor and certified lifeguard at Tom Sawyer Camps. These roles have deepened her commitment to youth development and education.
Madison believes public speaking is a lifelong skill that builds confidence and perspective. She brings this belief into her coaching, focusing on helping students grow by refining their technique and showing them new ways to approach challenges and communicate their ideas. Her coaching style is thoughtful, encouraging, and centered on helping each student discover and develop their unique voice.
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Event Specialties: Dramatic Interp, Humorous Interp, Storytelling, Program Oral Interpretation, Congressional Debate, SPAR
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Book Private Lessons:
SpeechandDebateInstitute@gmail.com
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ANDY ZHANG
SPEECH AND DEBATE COACH
​Andy has been extensively involved in speech and debate since 2019, and has experience in a variety of events including Public Forum, Parliamentary, Lincoln Douglas, Policy, and Extemporaneous Debate. As a competitor, he has earned major accolades, including championships at the 49th Harvard National Forensics Tournament and 37th Annual Stanford Invitational, qualifying twice for NSDA Team Canada, placing as 3rd speaker at the 2022 Georgetown Spring Tournament, and advancing to deep elimination rounds at numerous TOC- bid and National Circuit tournaments. In high school, Andy was also one of only 12 public forum teams in the world invited to compete at the Harvard International Round Robin, where he placed 2nd in his pod and 3rd overall. Andy graduated valedictorian from North London Collegiate School Jeju and is now pursuing a bachelor’s degree in International Relations and Economics at the University of Southern California, where he continues to engage with his passion for speech and debate as a member of the British Parliamentary Debate team. Most recently, he was a continental finalist at the prestigious North American Universities Debating Championship (NAUDC) held in Maine. As a coach, Andy has experience working with students of all ages, including as a mentor for Hyejae Academy and a teaching assistant for BL Education. Hailing from Vancouver, he has also been featured on CBC News Canada for his competitive and coaching success, speaking on the benefits of speech and debate to high school students across the province. Andy believes that speech and debate should be accessible to all students and sees it as a powerfulway to build lifelong confidence, critical thinking, and self-advocacy skills. His coaching philosophy is fun, enthusiastic, kind, and patient, and he is excited to help students of all backgrounds and experiences grow and succeed!
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Event Specialties: Public Forum, Parliamentary, Lincoln Douglas, Policy, Extemporaneous, and Congressional Debate.
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Book Private Lessons:
SpeechandDebateInstitute@gmail.com
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ELLIE SOHN
SPEECH AND DEBATE COACH
Ellie has been involved in speech and debate since 2016, beginning her journey in elementary school, and continuing throughout middle & high school at Flintridge Preparatory School. She has quite the gambit of event specialties as she qualified to the NSDA National tournament in US Extemporaneous twice, Duo Interp, and Program Oral Interp. She primarily competed in Extemporaneous Speaking, Impromptu, and Program Oral Interpretation. Ellie also has extensive experience in Dramatic Interpretation, Original Oratory, and Congressional Debate.
Notably, she placed 6th place at the Tournament of Champions in Extemporaneous Speaking in 2024, and was also a NSDA national semifinalist in United States Extemporaneous Speaking that same year. She was also a national finalist in the supplemental Congressional Debate division. She was invited to the Florida Blue Key Extemporaneous Round Robin and the prestigious Montgomery Bell Academy Round Robin, an invitation extended to the top 16 extempers in the country. She attained multiple final round trophies from local and national tournaments across the country, being named Top 6 at the UC Berkeley Invitational, Glenbrooks Tournament, and 2nd place at the Stanford Invitational. She is currently pursuing her Bachelor’s degree at the University of California, Berkeley, where she is actively involved in speech and debate coaching. She has been coaching as a speech instructor for 2 years, and she has a strong passion for teaching. Her students across different events have reached outrounds in national level tournaments, and shifted from the novice division to varsity divisions. Her years of experience teaching students of different ages, and functioning as the overall captain on her high school speech and debate team have strengthened her commitment to education.
As a coach, Ellie believes that public speaking is a skill that extends beyond the classroom, and the activity, and is an essential part of building confidence. Ellie strives to be a bright, and energetic coach centered around building both oratorical skills and courage on the stage.
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Event Specialties: US Extemporaneous, International Extemporaneous, Impromptu Speaking, Program Oral Interpretation, Congressional Debate, Original Oratory, Dramatic Interp, and Duo Interp
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Book Private Lessons:
SpeechandDebateInstitute@gmail.com
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