NYPDL Board 2024-25
Completely student-run!
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Margot Norman:
Equity Director
Hi! I’m Margot: a senior, captain of Harriton’s parli team, and a passionate econ & IR motion apologist. When I’m not debating, you can find me working on something else public speaking-related, reading books to be able to say I’ve read them, or planning my next hiking trip (give me trail recs!). So excited for this season!
Shawnak Shivakumar:
Outreach Director
Hi! I’m Shawnak, a junior at Menlo-Atherton High School. This is my third year in Parli and I’ve done other formats since middle school. I’m passionate about all things debate, whether it's teaching others, learning from alums, or chatting with people on the circuit. Outside of debate, I love cooking and baking, grinding competitive chess, going downhill skiing, and spending time with my family & friends. I'm looking forward to working with the NYPDL to create an incredible debate experience for everyone!
Eloise Biddle-Gottesman:
Tournament Commitee Member
Hello!! My name is Eloise (She/Her) and I’m a Senior at Berkeley High School in California. I’ve been debating since sophomore year and it’s one of my favorite activities! When not debating I can be found reading, baking, taking photos of my dogs, and incorrectly translating Latin and Greek.
Eloise Turner:
Onboarding/Outreach Committee Member
Hi! My name is Eloise and I am a senior at Trinity School NYC. I started Parli in sophomore year and I am captain of Trinity’s Parliamentary Debate team. Outside of debate, I love playing tennis, leading Trinity’s East Asian Affairs Club, reading, and hanging out with my friends. I can’t wait for this year!!
Addy Hawthorne
Onboarding/Outreach Committee Member
Hey! My name is Adelaide and I’m a rising sophomore at Choate Rosemary Hall in CT. I’ve been doing Parli since 6th grade and also work at a debate camp during the summer. I love debate and argumentation quite a bit but I also love music, thrift stores, food, and politics. Can’t wait for a great year!
Maliha Thomas
Equity Officers
Hi! I’m Maliha and I’m a junior captain of the Friends Seminary debate team. This is my third year doing debate. When I am not debating you can find me reading, listening to music, or going for a run. Can’t wait for such a great year!
Zoe Manges
Equity Officers
Hi! I'm Zoe and I'm a junior at Horace Mann. I've been debating since middle school and outside of debate, I love writing for school publications, listening to music, drawing, and reading. I'm excited for another fun season of parli!
Amber Safir
Equity Officers
Hi! I’m Amber, a senior at Berkeley High School. I have been debating since freshman year, and am currently president of the team. When I’m not debating, you’ll probably find me playing music, listening to music, or going dancing with friends. I’m so excited for the upcoming year!
Adrian Turkedjiev:
Executive Director
Hi! I'm Adrian, a senior at Stuyvesant. I have been doing debate for six years now, and am one of the captains of the Stuyvesant team, as well as coach of the NEST+m team. If I’m not debating, I’m probably watching or teaching debate, and if I’m not doing any of those things, you can probably find me playing drums or guitar, reading, or coding. I couldn’t be more excited for this year!
Joshua Montvelisky:
Executive in-Person Tournament Director
Hey! I’m Josh and I’m a Senior at Blind Brook High School. I have done parliamentary debate since 7th grade and am currently the Co-Captain of Blind Brook’s Debate Team. When I am not debating, you are likely to find me doing something debate-related. Aside from debate, I enjoy Mock Trial and working in politics/government. In my free time, I like to read, listen to music, and watch movies. Looking forward to an amazing season!
Jiayi Liu:
Online Tournament Director
Hi, I’m Jiayi, a senior at Westfield Academy who has been involved with Parli since 6th grade and loves weird philosophy motions. When I’m not debating, I’m probably reading Bojack Horseman analyses on Reddit, building Legos, or filming pretend mukbangs with my friends. I’ve also been getting into movies recently and would love some recommendations! So excited for this year!
Shreya Ranjan:
Tournament Commitee Member
Hey! I’m Shreya, a junior at Dalton and I’m so excited to start my second year on the board! If I’m not debating you can probably find me listening to music while baking, reading, painting, or watching f1 and tennis!
Treasurer
I’m Sophie, a junior and a co-captain of Edgemont High School’s parliamentary debate team. I’ve been debating since seventh grade, and love everything about it. When I’m not debating, you can find me enjoying music, participating in Mock Trial, or working on AANHPI advocacy. So excited for a great year of debate!
Dari Zell:
Tournament Commitee Member
Hi! I’m Dari, a junior at Bard High School Early College Queens. I’ve been debating for two years and this is my first year on board. When I’m not debating I’m probably doing Model UN or swimming.
Ariel Segura:
Tournament Commitee Member
Hi! I’m Ariel, a sophomore at Brooklyn Tech and co-director of Tech's Parliamentary Debate Team. I started debating freshman year when I started the Team at BTHS. When I’m not debating, which is rare, I’m listening to music, helping out with tech's student government, hanging out with friends, or rooting for Latino Representation! I cannot wait to have an amazing season.
Campbell Langdon:
Tournament Commitee Member
Hi! I’m Campbell, a junior at Dalton. I’ve been doing Parli for the last 3 years and been involved with debate since seventh grade. When I’m not debating you can find me playing tennis, piano, hanging out with friends, or watching my favorite shows. I’m really excited for this debate season and I can’t wait to make it the best one yet!
Asha Tandon:
Onboarding/Outreach Committee Member
Hi! I’m Asha and I’m a Junior at Horace Mann. I’ve been debating since my Sophomore year and I’m one of the Vice Presidents of the HM Parli Team. When I’m not debating you will probably find me baking, listening to Taylor Swift, going for runs, or doing some other speech and debate activity. I’m so excited for another great year of debate!
Eva Black:
Onboarding/Outreach Committee Member
Hi! I’m Eva (she/her). I’m a senior at Stuyvesant and one of its two captains and I’ve been doing parliamentary debate for two and a half years. I love music (especially 80s and 90s music), drawing and my two very cute schnauzers.
Ethan Bordoff:
Onboarding/Outreach Committee Member
Hi all!! I’m Ethan, a junior at Hunter College High School in NYC and the founder and captain of Hunter’s parli team. Outside of debate I love playing soccer, spikeball, and ultimate, doing graphic design, playing with my dog, and finding new root beers to try. I can’t wait for another great year of debate!!
Ollie Feder:
Onboarding Director
Hi, I’m Ollie! I live in New York and am a senior at Dalton. I am a captain of the Dalton Parli team, and have been doing debate for five years. Outside of debate, I love playing basketball, being with friends and family, and learning about history. I’m so excited for this year!
Amrit Mohapatra:
Technology Coordinator
Howdy! I'm Amrit (They/Them), a junior at Blind Brook High School. I've been involved in parliamentary debate since 7th grade, and I am the Vice President of our team. While i'm free, I love skateboarding, coding, and reading cool wikipedia articles.
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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
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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
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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.