My Nonprofit Reviews

I am a student who has been involved in a range of speech and debate events for the last five years. I attend a NSDA member and charter school and have gone to NSDA Nationals three times. There are three experiences I would highlight about the NSDA's impact in my life.

First, as a student attending a public school in a rural, high-poverty area, the NSDA has facilitated incredible opportunities that would otherwise not be available to my peers and me. At our local tournaments, the NSDA has undeniable influence, from running Tabroom.com (an organization website), suggesting best practices for equity and fairness, to literally sourcing the event rulebooks. These tournaments expose us to the world outside of our small community, as we see college campuses, interact with college-educated adults and compete against college-aspiring peers. Furthermore, NSDA Nationals takes us away from our home state and allows us to meet competitors from around the country, while also hearing about leadership and college opportunities. Through it all, we are given academic challenge that supplements our relatively weak public school curriculum, as well as a forum to learn and share what matters to us. In this way, the NSDA helps us dream bigger and gives us the skills necessary to achieve more.

Secondly, I've had the privilege to be a member of the NSDA Student Leadership Council for the past two years. The Student Leadership Council is a group of students from around the nation who give student input to the NSDA. It has shown me how unequivocally committed the NSDA is to serving its members and being responsive to student voices. The NSDA staff work tirelessly and do everything they can with the resources they have to maximize the organization's impact. The NSDA has a unique focus on prioritizing diversity, equity, and accessibility in everything it does.

Finally, I have been honored to be a two-year member of the NSDA's USA Debate program, which is the Team USA of high school debate. This team competes internationally to represent the country at various competitions and the annual World Championships. Often, the competitors on this team are the first Americans that debaters/coaches from other countries have ever met. Because of the NSDA's financial support, Team USA Debate is highly diverse and socioeconomic barriers don't inhibit participation. As such, the team is able to best represent the United States abroad. Before the NSDA's administration of the team, there was little coordination and accessibility, but in the last decade, the program has successfully sent a US delegation to the World Schools Debate Championships each year.

The NSDA is making an undeniable and irreplaceable impact on the communities it supports; from my small town to the entire globe. I strongly believe that the NSDA is playing a vital role in helping students see the world and find their place in it.