MEET OUR
Coaches
MAGGIE WOODWARD
SPEECH & DEBATE 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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Book Private Lessons:
MAYA ORIGEL
SPEECH & DEBATE COACH
Maya has been involved in the speech & debate community since she was in 8th grade, nearly a decade! She began immersing herself completely into forensics as a competitor at Gabrielino High School, focusing on DI and POI. She’s competed in both State and National tournaments within the high school and college circuit and went on to receive 3rd place at the NFA tournament, received silver at the PHI RO PI National Tournament, and received 3rd place at the State Championships tournament in college.
Maya went on to pursue her academic endeavors at San Francisco State University and completed her degree in Communicative Disorders. Coach Maya has taught a wide array of ages through her work as a lead preschool teacher, an assistant speech and debate coach at Westridge School, and teaching at Polytechnic School during the summer.Maya's competitive background inspired her to branch out into theatrics. She has participated in several plays, participated in numerous on screen acting intensives, and is classically trained in opera. She uses the skills she’s acquired from these programs to strengthen and diversify her teaching approaches. She has worked as an aide for children with special needs and has focused on enriching young individuals lives through art, music, and performance.
Maya prides herself on being able to connect with students from all walks of life and seeks to find ways to celebrate the intricacies of the human condition through performance and education.​
Event Specialties: Dramatic Interp, Humorous Interp, Duo Interp, Program Oral Interp, Storytelling, Prose, Poetry, Original Oratory, and Informative
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Book Private Lessons:
ALISON KALMUS
SPEECH & DEBATE COACH & 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: Storytelling, Dramatic Interp, Humorous Interp, Duo Interp, Declamation, Impromptu, SPAR, and Writing
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Book Private Lessons:
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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Book Private Lessons:
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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Book Private Lessons:
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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: Duo Interp, Dramatic Interp, Humorous Interp, Storytelling, Parliamentary Debate, Lincoln Douglas Debate, and Impromptu
