Two U-High students have qualified for the Tournament of Champions, a national high school speech and debate tournament considered to be one of the most prestigious and competitive. It will take place online April 23-25.

 Senior Aaron Kim and sophomore Mahi Shah qualified for this tournament by collecting two bids: debate rounds that, if won, count as part of the qualification for the tournament. 

Mahi said participating in this tournament has been her goal since ninth grade, and something she has worked for diligently.

 “For me, it was kind of getting used to being in the varsity division, giving practice speeches, working on making files and making sure my speeches would be adequate against better teams,” Mahi said.  

Aaron said that this has also been a goal of his for some time and not something he feels nervous about. 

“I’m mostly excited, not nervous,” he said. “Most of the top debaters are actually friends that I’ve made over the course of debating. For me, it’s mostly just debating my friends, so I’m looking forward to that.”