World Schools Instructors

World Schools

Ebenezer Appiah, Instructor

I'm Ebenezer Appiah, and I am incredibly excited to join you all this summer. Throughout my high school tenure, I primarily competed in World Schools Debate at various levels, including local, state, national, and international competitions. Notable achievements include clinching the 2021 NSDA National Championship title, winning the HUDL City Championship twice, and securing the top national ranking by the end of my senior year. Additionally, I've reached outround stages at prestigious tournaments like the UT Longhorn Classic, Kandi King Round Robin, Blake Invitational, and Bluebonnet International. Currently, I compete at the collegiate level in British Parliament (BP) debate, which shares many similarities with World Schools format. In this season, I've already earned recognition as the top novice speaker and tied for second overall speaker in the open category at the 2024 Vanderbilt IV Tournament, where I also made it to the quarter-finals. As part of my commitment to promoting equity in debate, I've dedicated the last three years to volunteering with Space City Camp, offering free coaching services. I eagerly anticipate collaborating with you all to nurture and enhance your debating skills!

Jon-Carlo Canezo

Jon-Carlo Canezo, currently serving as the head coach at St. John's School, also assumes the role of content specialist at HUDL. In his capacity at HUDL, Canezo provides additional coaching and practice support to HUDL schools in Congress, Worlds, and LD formats. With this being his fourth year at St. John's, Canezo brings over 15 years of extensive experience in both competing and coaching Speech and Debate activities.

Kelsey Mosley

Kelsey Mosely, competed in speech and debate for six years. She started competing in World Schools Debate during her sophomore year of high school at Alief Early College. She achieved success including winning first place at the 2023 Houston Urban Debate League City Championship and qualifying for the TFA state tournament. However, her most notable accomplishment is earning third speaker at the 2023 NSDA National Championship Tournament. Kelsey is eager and looking forward to teaching at camps this year.

Kaveen Shah

Kaveen Shah debated at The Kinkaid School in Houston, for four years, serving as the debate team's president and the WSD team captain his junior and senior years. Throughout his career he qualified for the TFA state tournament four times in WSD, breaking to the late elimination rounds for three years. Kaveen has championed the Vilnius Open and Cornell Debate Camp and reached the semifinals at UC Berkeley and The Longhorn Classic. He also competed at the NSDA national tournament reaching the outrounds. Outside of his school team, Kaveen was selected as a Team Texas World Schools Debate team member and frequently competes in international tournaments with friends.

Rubick Hernandez

Rubick Hernandez, a student at Coe College in Iowa, will be joining the team this summer, bringing a wealth of experience in speech and debate. Hernandez, who is pursuing double majors in Social & Criminal Justice and Sociology along with a minor in Spanish, honed her skills at Alief Elsik High School in Texas.

During her time at Elsik, Hernandez participated in World Schools Debate and Extemporaneous Speaking for four years, earning qualifications for prestigious national and state tournaments. Notably, she secured four qualifications each for the National Speech and Debate Tournament and the Texas Forensic Association State Tournament in WSD. As a Houston Urban Debate League/CASE debater, Hernandez clinched the top spot at the HUDL City Championship in WSD.

Currently a member of Coe College's American Model United Nations group, Hernandez remains actively engaged in the speech and debate community. She spends her spare time adjudicating speech and debate tournaments online and has previously served as an instructor at the Houston Urban Debate League summer camp and the Texas Debate Collective camp. Reflecting on her experience, Hernandez emphasizes the invaluable skills that speech and debate impart to students, fostering effective communication and critical thinking. She believes every student should have the opportunity to participate in such activities, which is why she is thrilled to contribute to the UH Honors Debate Workshop this summer.

Nhung Huynh

Nhung Huynh, an incoming freshman at the University of Texas at Austin. Huynh boasts extensive experience in Extemporaneous and World Schools formats, showcasing her expertise as the president of Elsik’s debate team, where she led her peers to success in the previous season.

Huynh's commitment to excellence is evident in her competitive achievements, including a notable fifth place finish at the TFA 2024 State tournament, quarterfinal appearances at UT 2023, and commendable performances at the World Schools (NSDA) Nationals, where she advanced to late out-rounds. Her exceptional skills in World Schools Debate have earned her a prestigious Top 15 national ranking.

Outside of the competitive arena, Huynh is dedicated to sharing her knowledge and empowering others. She eagerly anticipates the opportunity to contribute to the University of Houston Honors Debate Workshop during the summer of 2024.

Kelly Nguyen

Kelly Nguyen competed in World Schools Debate for three years at J. Frank Dobie High School. During her time in Worlds, she qualified for NSDA Nationals three times and TFA State. She served as president of her school’s team and was a member of TFA’s Team Texas. Kelly has competed at numerous tournaments including UC Berkeley, Bluebonnet International, and the Croatian Winter Holiday Open, reaching out-rounds at the HUDL City Championships, UT Longhorn Classic, and in Extemporaneous Debate at NSDA Nationals. Kelly is now studying political science at the University of Houston Honors College and is excited to instruct this summer!

Nine Abad

Nine Abad is the Vice President of the University of Houston Honors Policy debate team and an assistant coach for Seven Lakes High School. As a coach, they have mentored students in World Schools, Policy, Public Forum, Lincoln Douglas, and various speech and interpretation events. Nine has coached teams to deep elimination rounds of the TOC, NSDA, and TFA. As a current competitor in policy debate, Nine is a two time NDT qualifier and has won multiple novice and JV championships. Outside of debate, Nine engages in academic research related to Filipino folklore, Indigenous religions, and diaspora studies.