Meet your Facilitators

Hey everyone, my name is Aadit Palicha and I’ll be mentoring a few of you at the Emirates Debating Society this year! Throughout high school, I was practically obsessed with debate and picked up over 5 years of experience. I’ve participated and succeeded in several international competitions, including Doon School Debates, India Today Debate Cup, Modern World Debates and more. This year, I was lucky enough to be selected as a member of the UAE National Debate Team and I’ll be representing my country at the World Schools Debating Championship. After graduating high school, I’ll be attending Stanford University where I plan on studying Computer Science and continuing my debate career 🙂

Hello! I’m Adiba Ejaz, currently in my eighth year as a debater (rather old and crusty now) and active on the college-level British Parliamentary debate circuit. I just came out of my first year at Columbia University studying Math and Philosophy – geometry is surprisingly applicable to problems of ethics, and you’re welcome to ask me how to name-drop Rawls in a speech. Experience-wise: I’m a member of the executive board of the Columbia Debate Society, and during my stint with American Parliamentary Debate, I ranked 14th in my year across the US. Previously, I’ve been a member of the UAE National Debate team and President of my high school’s debating society. In high school, I excelled at several national and international tournaments from which I’ve learned some important lessons – of debate and of character – and I’m glad for the chance to share some of my naive wisdom with you!

I’m Aryan Kapoor, a freshman at the University of Southern California. I have 7 years of debate experience at the high school level and a year at the college level. I’ve participated in multiple national and international competitions including Modern World Debates, Gulf Debates, and many more. As a 3rd speaker, I specialize in rebuttal and weighing arguments. I hold a position on the board of USC’s debate society.

Hey guys, my name is Kabir Mahapatra and I’ll be one of the instructors for the Emirates Debate Society. I’ve been debating since 2017, and have won many accolades in competitions such as Gulf Debates, Dubai Debate League, and even some competitions in India, so don’t worry, you’re in good hands. I hope I can teach you some of the things I wish I had known when I first started out debating, and help you refine your skills to become a better debater. I look forward to meeting you all!

Hey everyone! My name is Sara Ansari, and I‘m a rising freshman at Princeton University. I was on the UAE Debate Development Squad last year. Being a tad bit competitive, I’ve shown up to almost every debate competition in the region and beyond. I debate in WSDC and British Parliamentary Style, but most of all I debate by way of conversation. So rest assured that you will find me where the slightest hint of a heated debate is!

Hey everyone! My name is Tejas Ravishankar and I’m one of the mentors for the Emirates Debate Society. I’ve loved to research and read about world events ever since I was a kid and over my school years that translated into various ventures into debating. I was fortunate enough to successfully take part in various debating competitions in the UAE and India, including the India Today Vasanth Valley Debates and the Gulf Debates. I plan to pursue CS and Mathematics at University and hope to continue debating as well.

Hi! My name is Vaishnav Rajkumar. I’m entering my second year of uni at King’s College London, doing a course in a Politics/Econ field. I was in the UAE development squad last year, and am currently the Vice President of the KCL Debate Society. I mostly specialise in philosophy, policy and economics motions.