STARTED: Age 10

RESULTS: Placed First in NSDA Junior Public Speaking Championships

WHERE IS SHE NOW? Middle School

Ariel began public speaking in Grade 4 and joined LearningLeaders in Grade 5. The LearningLeaders team heard from Ariel's mother that Ariel was very shy since she was a child, and nervous when speaking to classmates and teachers at school.

The turning point began in the third grade of elementary school. At that time, Ariel was recommended by the school to participate in an extracurricular activity similar to TED Talk, but she forgot her words during the first rehearsal. Ariel was naturally a little depressed and felt inferior to other children. But her mother felt that was lacking wasn't ability, so much as practice and self-confidence.

With the encouragement of her mother and LearningLeaders coaches, Ariel went home and practiced every day, becoming more and more comfortable. When the event took place, everyone could see that she had made great progress.

Ariel eventually won first place in the National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA) Junior free speech group! The judges present unanimously commented that although she is young, her strength, clarity of expression, and energy were amazing. Congratulations, Ariel!

STARTED: Age 10

RESULTS: Won USA National Championship

WHERE IS SHE NOW? Deerfield Academy

Sunshine first encountered public speaking and debating in middle school. Busy with other extracurricular activities, she didn't fully commit to debate until age 12!

Working with teammates in the LearningLeaders Intermediate, Advanced, and Elite Teams, Sunshine worked diligently and quickly improved. Eventually, she was named to a top team and had the honor of competing for the USA National Championships.

Winning the Middle School USA Championships in a tight battle was a great experience for Sunshine, who decided to stay in the United States and continue her studies there. She is currently attending Deerfield Academy, a premier boarding school in Massachusetts, where she is the editor-in-chief of the school newspaper.

STARTED: Age 14

RESULTS: Won World Championships

WHERE IS HE NOW? Stanford University

Before starting debate, Linden loved to participate in Model United Nations, but soon realized the excitement and competitiveness of debate was more his style. Joining our Elite debate course, Linden quickly became internationally-competitive.

a former Team China member, Linden won numerous accolades, including the 2018 WSDC World Championship, Oldham Cup 2019 International Group Champion and Best Debater, EurOpen 2017 Finalist. 

In his time, Linden specialized in the first speech of the debate, the so-called Prime Minister's PM speech, which is one of the most difficult but important speeches to successfully deliver. His organized and thoughtful approach to speech-writing undoubtedly contributed to him being named the #2 overall speaker in the world while he was a junior in high school.