Panthers of ISKL #346: IASAS Season 3 - Speech And Debate Delegates
Speech and Debate students, Hui Ling Y. (‘27), Chenran Z. (‘28) Zi Hong C. (‘26), Tillie V den B. (‘26) and Rachel S. (‘27) tell us about their experiences and what inspired their IASAS experiences.
Here are their stories:
Tell us more about what inspires you in your preparation for IASAS Speech and Debate
What inspires me the most is the level of dedication and commitment shown by everyone involved. Despite everyone's demanding schedules such as sports practices, clubs, or orchestra, people consistently made time to prepare motions, stay up late refining arguments, and attend after school debate sessions. I was especially inspired by those who were new to debate but still put in immense effort and demonstrated remarkable improvement through a lot of grit and perseverance. Additionally, seeing seniors, who were already managing the rigor of the International Baccalaureate (IB) programme, continue to invest so much time and energy into IASAS preparation was incredibly motivating.
What are you most proud of in your participation at IASAS Speech and Debate, either individually or as part of your group
I am most proud of the team as a whole. In particular, the new debaters were truly impressive, they showed significant growth over a short period of time and remained resilient even after difficult rounds. Their optimism, enthusiasm, and willingness to learn really stood out. I am also grateful for my own team, who were patient, supportive, and encouraging throughout the experience. We worked collaboratively, pushed through challenging rounds together, and ultimately grew stronger both individually and as a team.
– Words by Hui Ling Y. (‘27)
Describe your most memorable moments during IASAS Speech and Debate and what you most enjoy about it?
My most memorable moments during IASAS Speech and Debate were when my roommates and I played pool at our host's house, and of course, when I was awarded my gold medal. This was my first time traveling to IASAS, and I was incredibly nervous at the beginning. I definitely took it more seriously than, looking back, I would have if I'd known just how much fun and breathtaking the experience would be; however, I really am grateful to my hosts in that I learned how it feels to both be tense during the competition hours and to feel completely at home afterward. My gold medal is self-explanatory; the feeling of going up on stage, not only proud of my own work toward this accomplishment, but proud to have gotten to know such wonderful people during the process, is something I wish to replicate in the following years.
Please describe your contribution at the convention, both personally and as part of a group.
I participated in two sections of Speech: Extemporaneous and Impromptu. Having done Impromptu last year as a part of the SEA Forensics team, I knew I enjoyed coming up with speeches on the spot and telling stories, arguing my side with both humor and wit. However, this was my first year as an Extemporaneous speaker. I think that I came in with a bit of a different style as a more emotionally-driven speaker in a political speech event, and I am proud that I was able to mix in my original style with the skills and tactics I developed along the way. Personally, I was able to find out more about my passions in both speaking and economics: being able to combine the two, talk for seven minutes without interruption, and come away with a permanent memory of the details of the Japanese election or the British government was both endearing and tiring, in the best way possible. I definitely think I became a better teammate this year; there were setbacks, since my result in SEA Forensics was not the best, but, unsurprisingly, having four out of five lunches every week and then traveling with the group really helps with communication and encouragement. I hope that I contributed to my team's experiences as positively as they did to mine, because I could not have imagined a better IASAS trip.
– Words by Chenran Z. (‘28)
What did you gain through your experience at IASAS Speech and Debate, and how has this impacted your work?
I personally credit participating in debate for a very large part of how I process information and view the world today. I appreciate debate as a sport because the discussion is continuously evolving as the round goes on. Winning a round of debate isn't as simple as walking in with the best arguments and defending it in any way you can. The best debaters are often also the best listeners: they listen and respond to arguments brought up by the opposing team, but they don't stop there. They also know to acknowledge when an argument has been completely dismantled by the other side; they know you can lose a battle but still win the war.
In many ways, life is the same too. You will always come across people with different opinions, and just like in debate, engaging meaningfully with them requires tactful listening rather than just confident talking. A big reason these conversations are so important is because, just like in debate, there is not always a correct answer to what we do in this world. Sometimes you just have to realize there can be multiple opposing right answers... at the same time.
What are you most proud of in your participation at IASAS Speech and Debate, either individually or as part of your group?
Something I always appreciate about representing ISKL at IASAS is that we are always close and supportive as a team, and this year was no different. We were lucky enough to have most of our team hosted in neighboring houses this time around, and I will always remember going to each others' houses and hanging out with one another every day. I've always appreciated that amidst the often stressful nature of competition, we were always present in the moment for one another and willing to show up and support each other when we needed it most. After four wonderful years, this marks the end of my High School debate journey, and I'm so grateful to have been surrounded by coaches and teammates that made this experience a lovely one.
– Words by Zi Hong C. (‘26)
As an IASAS Speech and Debate member, how would you describe your Panther spirit and explain how this helped you?
As an IASAS Speech and Debate member, my Panther spirit is mainly supportive. Whether it’s my own team or delegates from other schools, IASAS is a very supportive environment. Even though it is a competition, it’s such a great achievement to come up with and deliver a speech, regardless of how it ranks. And, I think the Panther spirit definitely prioritises supporting each other over competing with each other.
Tell us what you gained through your experience at IASAS Speech and Debate and how it impacted your team.
For me personally, IASAS Speech and Debate has allowed me to grow in my confidence to stand up and advocate for the things I believe in. IASAS also greatly improves public speaking skills, and also builds a vital self-confidence which serves you well both in school and life. And for the team, it’s an essential team-building period, and provides us with a chance to hear each other's speaking.
Tell us more about some of the preparation you did to participate in IASAS Speech and Debate.
One of the toughest things for me is always choosing a subject for my Original Oratory speech. I have to pick something I’m interested in, but also something that can be condensed into seven minutes, which is quite tough to do. The writing comes quite easy to me, but it comes too much as I’m not very concise; I like to ramble. This makes cutting and editing parts of the speech the most heartbreaking part, but I understand that it’s necessary to prepare and create the best speech possible.
– Words by Tillie V den B. (‘26)
What did you gain through your experience at IASAS Speech and Debate, and how has this impacted your work?
Sportsmanship is a key aspect even if you're not in sports. Speech and Debate is a solo and team effort and learning to cooperate and work together is an essential part of learning over IASAS. I think I gained a lot of patience and integrity over the high stakes environment of IASAS. Learning to balance my individual performance with the collaborative success of my team has taught me that true leadership involves more listening than speaking. Rather than feeling jealous of a teammate scoring better, I've learned to just be happy over their achievements and to be able to work together as a cohesive team more.
What advice would you give students participating in IASAS Speech and Debate in future years?
A piece of advice I would give is to be comfortable with the idea of growing as a person and be able to take constructive feedback because you get a lot of it every day. If you take things to heart, you will be discouraged greatly. It's important to be able to take your mistakes and learn from them to be able to grow as a speaker. There will be times where you don't get the reaction you expected or the place you hoped for from judges and coaches but it's valuable insight to be able to improve. Ultimately IASAS is less about the medals you bring home and more about the person you can become from the process. So don't stress out too much about the competition aspect and instead embrace the discomfort of the "learning curve" and you'll find that some of your most frustrating rounds help you get to your biggest breakthrough.
– Words by Rachel S. (‘27)
Do you know of any student, teacher, parent, or staff member who always has an anecdote to tell, loves to share some insights into their passions and interests, or simply is a Panther through and through? Nominate them to be featured in our Panthers of ISKL stories by sending in your submissions here.