James Yu

James debated for four years at Leland High School in San Jose, CA, serving as team captain his senior year. He earned 11 TOC bids, placed 7th at NSDA Nationals, won the James Logan MLK Invitational, semifinaled at California States and Berkeley, and earned Top Speaker at Columbia. As both a competitor and captain, James emphasized clarity and cohesive narrative-building in lay debates, establishing Leland as one of the nation's strongest lay debate programs with several state and national titles. Beyond both lay and technical substance debate, he enjoyed experimenting with philosophy, adapting LD arguments like skepticism into Public Forum. He's excited to help students find their voice (and maybe even their favorite philosopher) at NDC this season!