Kabir was one of Civic Debate Academy’s first students, joining during CDA’s inaugural year after beginning debate in ninth grade.

Without a school program that supported national competition, Kabir and his partner had to find another way to access coaching, tournaments, research, and the resources needed to compete nationally. CDA helped bridge that gap by providing coaching, practice rounds, drills, lectures, research, travel support, and tournament chaperoning.

Over the next several years, Kabir learned that success in debate wasn’t just about winning. It came from getting reps, learning from losses, experimenting with arguments, and developing the skills that can’t simply be taught in a classroom.

That experience eventually led to major competitive success, including qualifying for the Tournament of Champions, winning two tournaments, semifinaling two round robins, and semifinaling the Gold TOC.

Now, Kabir has come full circle: he coaches at Civic Debate Academy himself.

What Kabir learned

“You genuinely just need to treat every debate round as practice for the next round.”

For Kabir, debate wasn’t just about competition. It taught him how to work through failure, improve through repetition, communicate effectively, and develop the confidence to present ideas to other people.

Now, he’s passing those lessons on to the next generation of CDA students.

Ready to help your student build these skills? Learn more about Civic Debate Academy today!