From a seventh grade novice debater to Mountain View-Los Altos Speech and Debate (MVLASD) club President, senior Grace Chang’s journey as a leader has been nothing short of great. Six years ago, Grace fell in love with speech and debate, and ever since, she has continued teaching and sharing her passion.

An avid history buff following in her older sister’s footsteps, Grace kicked off her career in the Youth Forensic League (YFL), the middle school program run by MVLASD. She joined Public Forum, an event that aligned with her interests focusing on domestic and international policy. Upon entering high school, Grace immediately joined the MVLA team, taking what was just a hobby to much more serious levels. 

“For me, this club [was] a space that fostered my learning, developed my interests and created a safe place where I felt welcome,” Grace said. 

As the Public Forum novice captain in her junior year, Grace focused on integrating novices with varsity members by organizing a variety of team bonding activities, fostering a close-knit community environment. Within the team, Grace was known for regularly showing up to practice with plates of brownies and bags of chips for people to share. 

Due to the competitive nature of debate, forming close relationships with other team members can be difficult. This year, Grace has made it a priority to help everyone on the team improve and feel as supported as possible, regardless of win records.

“When we aren’t doing well and feel stressed in tournaments, Grace always comforts us, and gives us tips on how to improve,” varsity Public Forum debater sophomore Racheal Wang said. “She’s open to helping in any way she can, and makes sure we aren’t too stressed or feel too overworked.”

“We’re not focusing on results as much, and our goal isn’t to go to elimination rounds every single tournament,” Grace said. “We try to ask questions like, ‘What can you learn from this?’ ‘How much can you improve at the next tournament?’”

Those who work with Grace often point to her efforts in generating a tight-knit team as one of her most notable qualities. 

“Grace is somebody who is trusted by other students, who will listen to them and keep their struggles confidential, who really is prepared to be optimistic for others,” MVLASD head coach Julie Herman said. “Like any competitive event, obviously, students face a lot of setbacks — having someone in charge who is capable of giving that individual support but is also broadly prepared to put on a good face for everyone is really important.”

“She’s made a huge impact on the team through her hard work at trying to better the team and make it more welcoming,” MVLASD Vice President and Parliamentary varsity captain Ethan Park said.

Beyond expanding her support for individuals, Grace has also made it a goal to create a more inclusive debate community as a whole through the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) committee.

“We’ve noticed that there isn’t much diversity on our team,” Grace said. “We really want to foster an environment where people from any background feel welcome, and have a more diverse group of people who think, work and learn together.” 

At the end of the day, Grace is driven to work hard in order to give back to the team that’s been so warm to her over the years. 

“I try to do my best for the team because of the support I’ve received,” Grace said. “My coaches and friends on the team have seen me through my highs and lows, and supported me through everything — I owe it to them to do the best I can.”