New York Parliamentary Debate League
NYPDL Board 2021-22
Completely student-run!
June Lin
Outreach Director
Hey, I’m June, a junior at ARHS (better known as BOW) in Connecticut. When I’m not debating, I’m probably drawing, reading, or programming. I also love listening to music and watching Studio Ghibli movies to relax. My favorite topic to debate at tournaments is philosophy :-)
Ben Binday
Tournament Director
Hi! I'm Ben and I'm a senior at Trinity. I've been involved in Parli since my freshman year and I'm a captain of Trinity's Parli team. In my free time, I enjoy playing tennis, watching sports, and hanging out with friends. I hope to see many of you at tournaments later this year!
Tenzin Gund-Morrow
Equity Officer
Hi! I’m Tenzin (he/him), and I’m a Senior at Friends Seminary. I started debating in the NYPDL Freshman year and today I’m captain of the Friends team. I love baking, drawing, and singing. I can’t wait for this new and exciting year of the NYPDL!
Julia Schroers
Equity Officer
I'm Julia (she/her), a member of the equity committee and resident Connecticut-New York Parli infiltrator. I debate for Westfield Academy, primarily in the Parli and British Parli styles, although I've also seen reasonable competitive success in online tiktok arguments over the morality of middle aged fictional characters. Outside of debating, I spend her time heavily identifying with Taylor Swifts lyric "There goes the maddest woman this town has ever seen", through my involvement in local activism and editing of the school newspaper. I also fuels my god complex by painting and skateboarding. Excited to see you all (although I'm on equity so actually hopefully I don't see you)!
If you would like to learn about previous student leaders of the league, please view the document below:
From Our Founders
from Radhika Mehta (Horace Mann '18, Columbia '22), Co-Founder of the NYPDL
We started the NYPDL towards the end of my sophomore year of high school to provide a platform for students across the metropolitan to engage in a form of debate that emphasizes critical thinking and public speaking skills. During my sophomore year, we held spars with Stuyvesant and Dalton, but without a league, we were unable to hold large formal tournaments that had a high level of competition. Starting the NYPDL allowed students across the tri-state area to learn and compete in a new, engaging, and non-technical debate format!
from Rodda John (Stuyvesant '17, Columbia '22), Co-Founder of the NYPDL
As high school students ourselves, Radhika Mehta (Horace Mann '18, Columbia '22) and I founded the NYPDL to expand Parliamentary Debate, the most popular form of debate at college, at the high school level. We wanted to create opportunities for students from schools without traditional debate teams to participate and form teams of their own. The league was built with an emphasis on student leadership. Though there are teachers and alumni of the league who oversee some of the activities requiring adults, the student-led board ultimately runs the league -- scheduling, programming, and planning are all organized and executed by the students.
Ariel Kirman
Executive Director
Hi! I'm Ariel, a senior at Trinity in NYC. I've been doing parli since my freshman year, and I'm excited to make this season our best yet. When I'm not working with the NYPDL, I am doing public forum debate, writing for one of my school's publications, or trying to beat my friends at a game of ping pong. My favorite topic to debate is: this house believes that the pen is mightier than the sword. I can't wait to spend time with you all this year!
Lorenzo Lizzeri
Outreach Director, Treasurer
Hey! I'm Lorenzo, a senior at Trinity. I love parli, skiing, and hanging out with my friends. My favorite parli topic is TH, as an international crime organization, would create a FIAT currency.
Nan Dickerson
Tournament Director
Tournament director for NYPDL. Her hobbies include art, writing, and making her classmates sigh when she raises her hand in class.
Julia Bloch
Director of Social Media
Hi! I’m Julia and I’m a senior at Friends Seminary. I’ve been debating since freshman year, currently I'm Captain of the Friends debate team and I‘m also the Secretary-General of MUN. When I have free time, I enjoy reading and hanging out with my friends.
Maya Bodnick
Outreach Committee
I’m Maya, a senior at the Nueva School in the San Francisco Bay Area. I love to read, write creatively, watch political TV shows (like Law & Order, West Wing, and Veep) and spend time with my family and friends. This is my sixth year doing parli, and debate has been a huge part of my high school experience. On the board, I want to help strengthen the connection between the West Coast and the NYPDL. I hope to give more students from around the country the opportunity to participate in this awesome activity.
Rose Weathers
Outreach Committee
Hi! I'm Rose Weathers -- a junior at Harriton High School. I do both Parliamentary debate and Extemporaneous speech, and I also play tenor saxophone in my school's jazz band and am on our Science Olympiad team. In my free time, I like to write music and take care of my aquarium.
Veikko Toikka
Outreach Committee
Hello! I'm Veikko and I'm at junior at Harriton High school. Besides debating, I compete as part of the science olympiad team, play drums in jazz band, and run cross country. My favorite parli motion so far has been "this house believes that Valentine's Day should be moved to the summer". I'm excited to be serving as part of the board this year!
Justin Gurvitch
Outreach Committee
Hi! I'm Justin, a senior at Horace Mann School in NYC. I've been involved in debate since sixth grade. When I'm not debating or judging, I conduct research at Weill Cornell Medicine, participate in student government, and lead a New York-focused magazine. I love engineering, debating, foreign affairs, and Curb Your Enthusiasm
Molly Bordoff
Outreach Committee
Hi! I’m Molly and I’m a junior at Trinity. I have been doing Parliamentary and Public Forum debate since my freshman year. When I’m not debating, I’m playing lacrosse or figure skating, writing about politics, working on women’s rights advocacy, or spending time with friends. I’m excited for the upcoming season!
Pranay Sen
Outreach Committee
Hi! My name is Pranay Sen and I am a Sophomore at Trumbull High School in Connecticut. I am interested in math, debate and tennis. I have been debating since freshman year. My regular debate circuit consists of a lot of Connecticut Debate Association tournaments and Parliamentary Debates. I enjoy Parliamentary Debate a lot. In my free time, I like playing tennis, Riding my Bike, spending time with friends, and tutoring children.
Julia Kostin
Tournament Committee
Hi, I’m Julia and I am a senior at Trinity School in NYC. I participate in both parliamentary and public forum debate. I recommend that debaters looking for inspiration watch the movie, “The Great Debaters”. It’s very entertaining and helpful!
Julian Huang
Tournament Committee
Hi! My name is Julian and I am a sophomore at Stuyvesant High School in Lower Manhattan. I have been very passionate about debate ever since I started debating two years ago, and it is something that has greatly contributed to who I am today. I am interested in urban planning and foreign policy, and in my free time I enjoy playing video games and listening to music.
Zach Berg
Tournament Committee
Hi! My name is Zach and I am a sophomore at The Dalton School. I am incredibly passionate about speech and debate. In addition to Parliamentary debate, I also do Public Forum debate, World Schools debate, and Model Congress. My hobbies include skiing and traveling. I am super excited for the debate season!!
Zachary Kurtz
Tournament Committee
Hi! I’m Zachary and I’m a junior at Horace Mann. I have been a part of my school’s Parliamentary Debate team since freshman year. I love to debate, ski, and travel. When I have free time, I enjoy hanging out with my friends and family and reading
Anya Juneja
Equity Officer
Hi! I'm Anya (they/them) and I'm a senior at Friends Seminary. I've been debating since sophomore year, and am co-leader of the Friends Math Team. I like to read, spend time with friends, and am involved in theater!
