Meet the Executive!

President - Naomi Gue

  • I am in my fourth year of a Double Major in History and Philosophy. I joined debate in my first year of university, back in September 2022.

  • In my free time I like playing acoustic guitar, cooking meals from around the world, and (slowly) learning Arabic.

  • My favourite part of debate is the friends I have made! Learning how to approach complex issues from multiple perspectives and challenging myself at tournaments has also been really valuable.

Vice-President Executive

Rachel Kaup

  • I’m an accounting major and joined debate in my first year.

Vice-President Finance

Tenisha Brar

  • I am a second year neuroscience student. I joined debate in grade 7 and joined UADS in my first year of university.

  • I love travelling, pilates, puzzles, watching sports and spending time with friends/family.

  • My favourite thing about debate is the wonderful community both within UADS and across Canada. Some of my favourite memories from university are from debate tournaments where we meet new people, see new places and have tons of fun debating a variety of motions.

Vice-President Internal

Mia Benjatschek

  • I am in my second year: double majoring in Philosophy and Political Science! I joined debate in my 1st year and have been here ever since.

  • In my free time, I love to play piano/tuba, chess (although very rudimentary in skill), watch darts videos, listen to music, and spend time with friends.

  • My favourite thing about debate is going to tournaments: I love meeting people from other institutions, debating, and the fun socials afterwards. Also, of course, the wonderful community UADS brings and all the friends I have made!

Vice-President Marketing

Marie Conteh

  • I am a political science major in my 2nd year! I joined debate in my first year of university, and have been with the club ever since.

  • I really like how debate has challenged my critical thinking skills. Beyond the skills I’ve learned from debate, it has introduced me to a lovely community!

Vice-President Training

Angad Phagura

  • I majoring in history, with a minor in Anthropology and Creative Writing. I joined debate in my second year, and am currently in my fourth year of university overall.

  • In my free time, I like reading, playing squash, writing about history, watching squash, listening to music and thinking about squash.

  • I love the community around UADS and the fact that I can yap competitively, and that unlike other forms of public debate, you are judged on universal criteria which you can get better at meeting.

Vice-President Training

Bruce Tong

  • I'm a Computing Science major Linguistics minor, and I joined UADS in my first year in 2022!

  • I really enjoy programming and tinkering with computers - I love being able to take ideas from my imagination, breathe into them life, and bring them forth into my own life. My other passion is for linguistics - it's fascinating to ponder all the ways various languages encode meaning and represent reality itself and to experience the beauty hidden in the sounds of mundane speech. I'm also learning Latin, German, and Chinese. When not buried under mountains of code and vocab flashcards, I like to bury myself in novels and fanfictions - especially fantasy and romance - and my favorite stories are Lord of the Rings, Percy Jackson, and Star Wars. Other hobbies include playing basketball, piano, exploring philosophy, religion, and history...and of course, there's debate - that's why I'm here!

  • Everything! I initially had so much written before I realized it should have been only 1-2 sentences...so in short, my most favorite things about debate are: all the amazing people I've encountered and great friends I've made, the way it's changed how I think and what I believe about the world, how much easier and better it's made presentations, essays, and note taking for me, and that it's just really fun!

Vice-President External

Eddie Lutz

  • Political Science (3rd Year + Minor in History)

  • Outside of debate, I do quite a bit of history related activities, such as reenacting and volunteering at groups such as the ERRS. I enjoy video games, filmmaking, photography, and I do like to travel. I also love to talk about military history, and can go way in-depth about it. Work wise I'm a regular force Artillery Officer.

  • I think my favourite thing about debate is largely the ability to get better at speech, being able to create more constructive arguments, and also being able to improve one's skills in learning and being nuanced in a variety of topics that you may be unfamiliar to. I equally think tournaments are some of the best experiences I've had in university, you get to meet tons of other people from UAlberta and also around the country by attending them.

Vice-President Outreach

Saim Humayun

  • Hey friends my name is Saim and I’m in my fourth year of my honours neuroscience degree. I started debate in high school and I joined UADS in my second year and it’s been the best part of my time at university.

  • In my free time I enjoy letting my brain rot away one cell at a time.

  • On its surface debating is a simple activity but a good round can genuinely teach you a new way to think about something and really demonstrates why our world is so complicated.

FALL 2025 MEMBERS AT LARGE

Novice Member at Large (NMAL) - Daryna Kostyuk

  • I’m majoring in International Business and minoring in Strategic Entrepreneurship and Management. I started debating in grade ten, did it all throughout highschool, and became hooked!

  • When I’m not napping, I always love going to new cafes with my friends!

  • All of the people you get to meet from different backgrounds and learning by watching their strategy and style. Also, waving down POIs.

Women and Gender Minorities Member at Large (WGMMAL) - VACANT

Member at Large (MAL) - Vivek Nrusimhadevara

  • I am a second-year kinesiology major. I got involved in debate in my first semester of University and have enjoyed it since.

  • In my free time, I enjoy playing basketball, having informal debates with my friends, and playing poker or any other card game.

  • I value the public speaking skills that debate has given me as well as the ability to respectfully disagree with others and maintain a calm and composed demeanor when faced with intense opposition.