“I now understand that anything that I want to accomplish in life is possible.” -Nuha Khan
Independence High School student Nuha Khan first got involved with SVUDL after graduating from her previous debate academy. She was looking to start something of her own within her high school. She originally reached out to SVUDL to see if they could come in and coach what was then just a small club, but is now a team of 25 dedicated debaters.
“Quickly this program became much more than that. It grew to be a family and a significant part of our school environment. It catered to not only the success of students, but creating a growing, educational community,” said Nuha.
SVUDL has changed her perspective on life by giving her the gifts of teamwork, compassion, and community. “These are points of view that I will carry throughout my entire life as someone who has learned the value of education. This organization has shown me that a huge part of success can be the role that not only your teachers and coaches play in your life, but also your peers and how important they are for the motivation you need to achieve your dreams,” said Nuha.
SVUDL has also impacted her goals for the future. “Ever since I was younger, I always knew that I wanted to go into the legal and political field. Through various programs and field trips that this organization has offered me alongside the value that it taught me for collaboration, I now understand that anything that I want to accomplish in life is possible. I want to have a strong support circle filled with friends, peers and colleagues who share the same vision as me,” said Nuha as she looked back at all that her SVUDL experiences have imparted to her over the years.
“I think the most striking thing that this organization has offered me is the ability to refine and attain better leadership skills. Being part of the Silicon Valley Urban Debate League has given me the opportunity to lead lessons and become a mentor for my teammates which has been such a rewarding experience because I'm able to give back to my community,” said Nuha.
The amount of time, effort and dedication that the coaches and teachers put into making sure that every single student has the ability to achieve something within this organization is something that Nuha finds extremely admirable and unique. “Coming into this organization as a student from a completely different debate community, one thing that I especially appreciate about SVUDL is that they make sure every single student has the ability to prosper,” said Nuha. “SVUDL has not only provided me with practical skills such as communication and public speaking experience, but also provided me with opportunities to see perspectives and understand various other parts of the community such as teaching, mentoring, and competing points of view. All of these components together make me a much more understanding person due to the wider perspectives I have gained here.”
She also enjoys all of the extra programs and field trips that SVUDL has to offer because it allows participants to gain a perspective into the different fields of where newly acquired skills can be used that are learned within the program and applied to the real world.
“One of my favorite memories within this program has to be competing at the UC Berkeley Invitational where I was able to meet some of the best debaters within the program and outside the program. This gave me an interesting perspective as it's the different types of debaters that exist within the national debate community. I was also able to collaborate with other debaters that were within our league and learn so much from them. It was a rigorous and challenging tournament but that is what made it so fun, exciting and memorable,” remembered Nuha.
As a proud first generation college student, Nuha has successfully and adeptly tackled the college application process “As I hear back from some of the top schools in the nation, I quickly understand and realize how important Speech and Debate has been not only to the application process, but how influential it has been towards me being selected. As I talk to various admission counselors and campus ambassadors, mentioning Speech and Debate never fails to help me with scholarships or other various advantages,” said Nuha.
Nuha knows that when she packs for college, she won’t only be taking clothes, shoes, and her laptop. She will also be toting significant SVUDL skills to college.
“Aside from all the communication, public speaking, and research skills that I have learned within SVUDL, I think the skill of turning passion into vision and eventually into success is an experience composed of a variety of tools, such as teamwork and delegation, that I will take to college,” sharesNuha.
