2008-03-03
Philadelphia Debate Institute Announces 2008 Faculty
Philadelphia, PA—The Philadelphia Debate Institute is proud to announce the the full list of faculty for the 2008 program. This year's program boosts a high number of returning faculty in addition to new, stellar additions. The official website, including full faculty biographies, can be accessed here.
Ali Huberlie, the former #1 ranked debater in the country and a two-time PDI veteran says: “I come back to PDI year after year because it is the highlight of my summer. I have never been in such an enriching, educational, and fun environment. PDI is a second family to me.”
Newcomer Josh Marshall, a celebrated former debater who was the Champion of the Wake Forest Invitational, reports that: “I look forward to working at PDI this summer. I enjoy teaching debate and its correlative skill-set, and find in PDI a staff devoted not only to this educational end, but also the creation and maintenance of a comfortable, supportive environment in which education is not a task but an event.”
The Philadelphia Debate Institute is a week-long, residential summer program held August 17-24, 2008 at Drexel University, that brings together students for intensive debate preparation. Now in its 4th year, PDI is the #1 nonprofit Lincoln-Douglas debate program in the country. Students from PDI have gone on to win prestigious tournaments including the University of Pennsylvania Liberty Bell Classic, Princeton Invitational, and Wake Forest Invitational. Graduating students from the 2005 and 2006 PDI earned half a million dollars in college scholarships in 2007, and100% of program alum are currently enrolled in 4-year. In 2007, 36 students from 23 schools in 6 states attended. For 2008, the institute expects to bring together 56 students and 18 faculty members for a life-changing experience.
The Philadelphia Debate Institute is the signature program of Perspectives Debate Incorporated, a Philadelphia-based nonprofit that seeks to promote high school debate education.
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Alexander McCobin (Co-Director)— Alexander McCobin is a M.A. candidate in Philosophy and Economics at the University of Pennsylvania. Alexander is the Founder and Executive Director of the nationally-recognized Students for Liberty Conference. Previously, he was a Charles G. Koch Summer Fellow; a law intern for Judge Ida K. Chen in the First Judicial District of Pennsylvania; and a Program Facilitator for the People to People program in Washington, D.C. He currently researches for Penn Law Professor Regina Austin and Penn Philosophy Professor James Ross. Alexander is the record holder for Pennsylvania for most number of TOC bids earned; he was a two-time TOC qualifier with bids from Wake Forest, Greenhill, Emory, Harvard, and Monticello (twice). Alexander competed at the Victory Briefs and Chesapeake Bay Round Robins and finished 3rd at the Pennsylvania State Tournament. Alexander can be reached at Alexander.McCobin@philadebate.org.
Lilly Deng (Co-Director)—Lilly Deng is an A.B. candidate at Harvard University. Previously, she was a summer analyst in the Chief Financial Office at Merrill Lynch & Company and Founder and Chair of the Interdependence Day Essay & Arts Contest. For her volunteer work, she has received the President’s Student Service Award, a Congressional Silver Medal, and was featured on the cover of Boston Globe Magazine. Lilly was a four-time national qualifier. She was the Top Speaker at Harvard, Hendrick-Hudson, and Monticello; the Champion of Monticello; and was invited to the Stanford, Vassar, and Southwest Round Robins. Lilly broke at Yale, NFA, Princeton, Monticello, Manchester, Hendrick-Hudson, Lexington, CFL Nationals, and Harvard. Lilly can be reached at Lilly.Deng@philadebate.org.
Ali Huberlie (Faculty Director)—Ali is a rising sophomore at the University of Pennsylvania, where she is majoring in Political Science and minoring in Urban Education. She is also a member of Penn’s prestigious Civic Scholars program. Ali has been involved with Perspectives Debate, Inc. for almost three years, and she is currently the Head of After-School programming for Perspectives’ after-school programs. In addition, she volunteers twice a week to teach debate at Parkway Center City HS, and has written and edited several Perspectives publications. As a debater, Ali collected fourteen bids to the Tournament of Champions, where she finished as a Quarter-Finalist at the 2007 Tournament of Champions. Ali was the Champion of the Harvard National Invitational, and the Vassar, Skyway, and Victory Briefs Sophomore Round Robins. In addition to placing second at the Greenhill and MBA Round Robins, Ali advanced to elimination rounds at every national tournament she attended. In addition to her debate involvement, Ali was involved in many community service activities throughout high school. She was recognized as a Coca-Cola Scholar (top 250 high schoolers in the country), Granite Scholar, and State of New Hampshire Scholar. This will be her third summer at PDI.
Matthew Scarola (Curriculum Director)—Matthew will graduate with a B.A. in Political Science from Columbia University in May 2008. As a debater, Matthew qualified to the Tournament of Champions after winning the Harvard National Invitational, Lexington Winter Classic, and Big Bronx tournaments. He was also the runner-up at the 2004 CFL National Tournament and reached elimination rounds at many major national tournaments. Matthew has been an assistant debate coach at Lexington High School for four years, where he has helped several students qualify to the Tournament of Champions. Matthew has also been extremely successful in college parliamentary debate; he is currently ranked 10th in the country and holds a position on the executive board of the American Parliamentary Debate Association. In high school, Matthew was an AP Scholar and a National Merit Scholar, as well as the recipient of the Dartmouth Book Award. He is a valued instructor at several other institutes, and this will be his second summer at PDI.
Angela Zhu (Administrative Director)—Angela is a rising senior at New York University, where she is a Presidential Honors Scholar. Angela debated for four years at Perkiomen Valley High School. In Lincoln-Douglas Debate, she was the 2003 Southeastern Pennsylvania Debate League Champion, a national qualifier to CFL Nationals in 2004 and also an elimination round participant at the Pennsbury Debate Invitational in 2004 and 2005. In Public Forum Debate, Angela is a three-time NFL qualifier and two-time champion from the Valley Forge District. In 2004, she reached the elimination rounds at NFL Nationals and her team’s overall performance record is nearly undefeated. Angela has held various internships and jobs, including publications positions with the Council on Foreign Relations and the Roosevelt Institution’s National Office, as well as research positions with the Center for American Progress and the Food Bank for New York City. On campus, Angela is actively involved as co-President of New York University’s chapter of the Roosevelt Institution, the nation’s first student think tank, and as a member of the competitive ballroom dance team. She speaks English, Mandarin, French, and Spanish. In high school, Angela was a National Merit Finalist. This will be her fourth summer at PDI.
Josh Marshall—Josh is a graduate of Lake Highland Preparatory School in Orlando, Florida, and is a senior at Brown University. Josh was the winner of the Wake Forest Invitational, a finalist at Crestian Classic, and received invitations to numerous robins, including the Chesapeake Bay, Victory Briefs, and Florida Blue Key round robins. During his final year of debate, Josh received 5 qualifying bids to the Tournament of Champions, the highest and most elite level of competition in high school debate. Josh has been a faculty member at the National Debate Forum in Boston, Massachusetts.
Mike Nicholas—Mike is currently pursuing a Juris Doctor degree at The College of William and Mary in Virginia. Mike graduated maxima cum laude from La Salle University with a degree in history. As a debater, Mike participated in many forensics events, including Lincoln-Douglas Debate, Student Congress and Humorous Interpretation. Mike was a four-time qualifier to the Pennsylvania State Tournament, where he finished 3rd his senior year; a qualifier to the CFL National Tournament, where he was an Octo-Finalist; and a two-time qualifier to the NFL Grand National Tournament, where he finished 10th in Student Congress and 14th in Lincoln-Douglas Debate. Mike also earned the John Cardinal Wright award for outstanding service to the Forensics Society upon graduation. From 2004-2007, Mike coached Lincoln-Douglas Debate and Student Congress at La Salle College High School in Wyndmoor, PA, and has helped students qualify to both national tournaments and the state finals. Mike credits high school debate competition with improving his writing and critical thinking skills immensely. Now in law school at William and Mary, he was selected for membership in the Moot Court Program (Semi-Finalist, Bushrod T. Washington Selection Tournament), the National Trial Team, and the Alternative Dispute Resolution Team. This will be his second year at PDI.
Conor Mayo-Wilson— Conor is a Ph.D. student studying formal logic, philosophy of mathematics and philosophy of science in the Logic and Computation program at Carnegie Mellon University. He graduated from Stanford University with dual degrees in mathematics and philosophy. At Stanford, Conor was awarded two Vice Provost For Undergraduate Education (VPUE) grants to study symbolic logic, won the D’Arpino prize as a freshman for best undergraduate philosophical essay, and completed an honors thesis focusing on the impact of theology and philosophy on the development of calculus and real analysis in the early 19th century. As a debater, Conor qualified to both the Tournament of Champions and also NFL Nationals. He was the Top Speaker and Champion of the 2002 Princeton Invitational, was a Quarter-Finalist at the 2001 and 2002 Pennsylvania State Tournament (PHSSL), and earned three TOC bids at Wake Forest, the Minneapple, and Princeton during his senior year. This will be Conor’s second year at PDI.
Jon Kwan—Jon is a rising sophomore at Swarthmore College, where he is studying philosophy. He was a top, nationally ranked debater from California. Jon was the Champion of the Stanford Invitational, Champion of College Preparatory School Invitational (CA), and finished second at Emory University’s Barkley Forum. He was runner-up at the Berkeley and Victory Briefs Round Robins, and was invited to the Vassar, Harker, Bronx, and Georgetown Round Robins. Jon is a two-time qualifier to the Tournament of Champions and was the Top Seed in 2007. He finished with a Quarter-Finalist performance. Jon was also recognized as an NFL All-American and a Commended National Merit Scholar. This will be his first year at PDI.
Alok Choksi—Alok is a rising sophomore at the University of Pennsylvania, where he is studying philosophy and political science. Alok Choksi competed in Lincoln-Douglas debate, Student Congress, and Extemporaneous Speaking events during high school at Battle Ground Academy, TN, where he was a top, nationally-ranked debater in Lincoln-Douglas Debate. He reached elimination rounds at Homewood, Saint James, Vestavia Hills, the Crestian, Wake Forest, Emory, and Lexington, and received bids to the Tournament of Champions at St. James and Wake Forest. At the NFL National Tournament during his junior and senior years, Alok finished with a Semi-Finalist performance in Student Congress and a Top 30 finish in Lincoln-Douglas debate. This will be his first year at PDI.
Corey Metzman—Corey is a senior at the Montgomery Bell Academy in Nashville, TN. Next year, he will matriculate at the University of Pennsylvania as a member of the highly prestigious Huntsman Program. Having competed in Lincoln-Douglas debate for four years, Corey has twice qualified to both the Tournament of Champions and NFL Nationals, where he reached elimination rounds in his junior year. He has accumulated five TOC bids over his career, and he has cleared to the “bid” round or further at every national tournament that he has attended since his sophomore year, including St. Marks, Glenbrooks, Ohio Valley, Emory, and Wake Forest, where he was the Champion as a junior and advanced to finals as a senior. As a sophomore, Corey was the top seed at both the Glenbrooks Junior Varsity Tournament and the Woodward Academy Second Year Nationals, where he was also top speaker. Corey has additionally participated in the Vassar, Voices, and Montgomery Bell Academy Robins. Corey has also been recognized as an NFL All-American and a National Merit Finalist. This will be his first year at PDI.
Lindsay Dolan—Lindsay is a senior at the Hockaday School in Dallas, TX. Next year, she will matriculate at Swarthmore College. Lindsay is the co-president of her nationally-ranked debate team, and a three-time qualifier to the Tournament of Champions. She finished in the Top 16 at the TOC her sophomore and junior years. In her career, Lindsay had third place finishes at Emory University’s Barkley Forum and the Minneapple and was twice a finalist at the Vassar Round Robin. Lindsay earned eight TOC career bids from prestigious tournaments including Greenhill, Valley, Glenbrooks, Stanford, and Blake. She has participated in the Greenhill, Victory Briefs, Skyway, and Lone Star Round Robins. She was the Top Speaker at Valley, Blake, Skyway, Stanford, and Vassar and qualified to the Texas State Tournament for three years. She has also been recognized as a National Merit Finalist, an Emory Book Award Recipient (for outstanding service and community building) and Cum Laude. She was a Senior Fellow at the 2007 PDI and joins as a junior faculty member this year.
Stephanie Caravias—Stephanie is a senior at Ridge High School in Basking Ridge, NJ, where she is captain of the debate team. Stephanie has won the New Jersey State Debate Championship and reached elimination rounds at many major national tournaments, including Yale, Bronx, Lexington, and Hendrick-Hudson. During her junior year, she was the CFL National Champion runner-up. As a senior, she qualified to the TOC and won the University of Pennsylvania tournament and round robin, as well as the Princeton Classic. She also participated in the MBA and Bronx Round Robins. Stephanie was also a member of the U.S. National Debate Team. She is the recipient of the New Jersey Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts. She was a Senior Fellow at the 2007 PDI and joins as a junior faculty member this year.
Perspectives is a Philadelphia-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization promoting youth debate education. Students who debate dramatically increase their reading comprehension, critical thinking, and public speaking skills. In the process, debate becomes a forum to foster youth achievement and civic responsibility. Perspectives has worked with over 400 students in 8 states through afterschool, summer, and special events. www.philadebate.org