Your Team Captains & Brand Ambassadors.
Potomac Debate Academy is proud of our student leadership team!
Our Team Captains are among our most dedicated debate students, some of whom have been with us for the better part of a decade. They offer support, feedback and guidance to their fellow student debaters through tournament observing, mock debates, office hours, monthly workshops and team newsletters. All Potomac Debate Academy team members have access to resources and events led by our Team Captains.
Our Brand Ambassadors work to celebrate the student experience at PDA by helping document the lifelong memories debaters make at tournaments and increasing authentic student representation in our front-facing media. These students also work diligently to increase inclusion across our team by connecting students with resources outside of the classroom. We encourage you to keep an eye on our Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn accounts to see all the great work these young professionals are doing!
Team Captains
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Alisha D.
- HS Team Captain
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Alisha Durbhakula is a senior at Winston Churchill High School. She began debating in 2016, when she was in 4th grade, and started competing on the national circuit in 2018 as a 6th grader. Since then, debate has given her countless skills in public speaking, confidence, research, and writing. It has also allowed her to build meaningful relationships with peers, mentors, and teammates through collaboration and shared growth. Over the years, Alisha has developed a strong passion for advocacy—using her voice to address pressing issues, amplify underrepresented perspectives, and spark important conversations both in and out of round. As a Potomac captain, she is excited to meet everyone, foster community, and help others grow through debate!
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Ekansh D.
- HS Team Captain
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Ekansh is a junior at Poolesville High School and has been debating with Potomac for the past 4 years. Ekansh developed a passion for the research, critical thinking, and communication skills that debate teaches, helping him gain confidence. Throughout his time with Potomac, Ekansh has been ranked as high as top 200 in the nation, competing at many prestigious tournaments, such as Harvard and Stanford, and has been a Youth NATO Summit attendee. His favorite part of debate is the competitive atmosphere and the ability to learn and adapt, valuable life skills to apply anywhere. As a captain, he strives to help students succeed and is excited to be a part of the community and contribute!
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Ethan C.
- HS Team Captain
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See Bio
Ethan started doing PF with Potomac in 5th grade and since then has participated in many tournaments on the national circuit such as Harvard, MSTOC, UK Season Opener, and Georgetown. Now, he looks forward to working with debaters across the program, building a collaborative team culture, and striving for success. He’s excited to refine his own skills by attending more tournaments throughout the season while helping others grow in research, strategy, round vision, and generally having fun with debate.
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Shreya D.
- HS Team Captain
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See Bio
Shreya began debating as a Potomac student as an elementary schooler. Since then, she has branched out and discovered her passion in competitive speech categories. She finds thrill in the adrenaline of limited-prep events and the opportunity to develop insight about current events. Her favorite part about speech and debate is how it pulls students out of their shells; without them even realizing it. Shreya is ecstatic to lead the team alongside the other captains in tournaments throughout this year!
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Veer P.
- HS Team Captain
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See Bio
Veer’s journey in debate began in elementary school, where he has been a member of Potomac Debate Academy for over 5 years now. Year after year, he has competed in countless tournaments, constantly striving for success. As he continued debating, he won numerous prestigious tournaments, leaving his mark on the debate circuit. Veer has gained numerous accolades throughout middle school, from being ranked #1 overall, winning Harvard, and attaining first speaker at MSTOC. Veer now aims to inspire and mentor younger debaters, sharing his passion to help others excel.
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Zack L.
- HS Team Captain
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See Bio
Zack Lam is a current senior at Richard Montgomery High School in Rockville, MD, and is in his ninth year at Potomac Debate Academy. While he initially joined debate to improve his public speaking skills, he has since discovered a passion for philosophy, global politics, and economics in the process. His favorite part of debate is the energy of the activity, which always brings him back to the activity and hones his critical thinking skills. As a captain this year, Zack looks forward to building a tighter community at Potomac while preparing the next generation of Potomac debaters for tournament success in both lay and technical debate.
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Assistant Team Captains
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Veena Y.
- MS Team Captain
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See Bio
Veena is an eighth grader at Eagle Ridge Middle School, and started learning debate in late sixth grade with Potomac Debate Academy. Debate had quickly turned into a passion, and something she enjoyed spending hours on. Since then she has enjoyed learning both Public Forum and Licoln-Douglas debate. Through practice and participation in debate tournaments, Veena has become more articulate and self-assured. She strongly believes debate can boost confidence and enhance communication abilities. Her favorite parts of debate include meeting amazing people from all over, and learning about different issues. As a captain, she is excited to share her love for debate with others and help them improve their skills.
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Brand Ambassadors
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Kaitlyn Q.
- Brand Ambassador
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Kaitlyn is a 10th grader from Greenwich, Connecticut. She found her passion for debate in elementary school, and shortly started competing for her school team in 6th grade. Potomac Debate Academy has been instrumental in shaping her confidence and critical thinking, thus as Brand Ambassador, Kaitlyn hopes to help others discover the organization and improve their communication skills.
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Lebene W.
- Brand Ambassador
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Lebene is an eighth grader who began public speaking at Potomac Debate Academy in the sixth grade. He soon took an interest in the prepared speech events, thanks to a love of researching and writing speeches. Lebene’s public speaking training has helped him in all corners of his academic life: from class presentations to intellectual discussions with teachers. Lebene is excited to apply his creativity and enthusiasm for speech to his role as Brand Ambassador
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Thandi D.
- Brand Ambassador
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Thandi has been part of Potomac Debate Academy since elementary school. Now a high school sophomore, she appreciates how her experience there has helped her grow not only in speech and debate but also in life. After five years of experience in Public Forum debate, Thandi has recently begun broadening her skills to include Public Speaking. Through her position, she hopes to share the benefits of Potomac Debate Academy on social media, inspiring more people to discover an activity she has come to love
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Vika V.
- Brand Ambassador
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Victoria “Vika” Vilensky is an 8th grader from Montgomery County, Maryland. After discovering her passion for debate at the PDA summer camp at the University of Maryland, she started a debate team at her middle school, where she now serves as team captain. As Brand Ambassador, Vika hopes to inspire kids to discover the excitement and benefits of debate and public speaking and to promote Potomac Debate Academy’s vision of helping every student find their unique voice as an effective communicator.
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Vivian C.
- Brand Ambassador
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Vivian is a sophomore at River Hill High School. She discovered her love for speech & debate after joining her debate team in middle school and has been part of Potomac Debate ever since, hoping to develop more effective communication skills. The skills she’s developed from speech & debate have helped her in many areas of her life, from research projects to class presentations. As a brand ambassador, Vivian hopes to share the amazing art of speech & debate with others through social media.
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