How Cindy Learned Debate for Two Years and Became a Champion

"Now I am proud to present swiftly and smoothly in front of coaches and other students. I really appreciate LearningLeaders for all of this."

- Cindy Huang

How it Started

If you speak with me in person, you may never realize that I am not a native speaker.

People are usually surprised everything time I tell them this, despite the fact that I may have a bit of a Chinese accent. I was born into a Chinese family; neither my dad nor my mom can speak English. At the age of seven, I entered an “international class” in a private primary school. However, despite having a foreign teacher, other things like school curriculum, school textbooks, and school rules were all Chinese-style. My school environment didn’t change until 7th grade, when I transferred to a Bilingual school.

There, I met LearningLeaders.

First Impressions

I still remember the first meeting our class had with Coach Fukuko and Coach Mike. They prepared all the necessities to make a sandwich and laid them on the table. Through the process of making a sandwich, pieces by pieces, they taught us the importance of logical flow. I was totally attracted to the idea of debating straight away! I wanted to practice my oral speaking skills more, so I decided to continue the following semester.

However, it doesn’t turn out to be as smooth and joyful as I thought.

My Transformation

Honestly, the first year of LearningLeaders for me was tough. My fellow debaters all came from international schools, and their English was fluent and charming. That made me feel disgraceful and even embarrassed every time I was asked to present the 'Question of the Day' and debate on the stage. There were times when I didn't even want to go to class, feeling depressed about my horrible pronunciation and my life in general.

During that period of time, it was my mom who stood up and forced me to not give up what I wanted in the beginning. She is a woman of persistence. On one hand she pushed me to step out of my comfort zone; on the other side, she reminded me that one is never going to achieve anything if they give up halfway through.

For two years, I stumbled through all kinds of hardships in my debate journey, but I can honestly say that it was worth it. Now I can be proud to present swiftly and smoothly in front of coaches and my fellow students.

I really appreciate LearningLeaders for all of this. If I hadn't joined, and if my mom hadn't pressed me to continue, I wouldn't have been introduced to the amazing coaches and curriculum, I wouldn’t have attended Elite debate class or be where I am now.

Thank you, LearningLeaders!