Our Award-Winning Coaching Team
Meet the decorated coaches behind our students' success
Head Coach & Founder
Rebecca Amisano
Head Coach & Founder
Rebecca founded DSDC at the age of fifteen, inspired by her desire to share the life-changing impact of debate with others. Through debate, she saw her own academic ability, critical thinking skills, and understanding of the world expand significantly, and she was determined to provide other students with the same transformative opportunity. With nearly a decade of experience and thousands of students coached, she has won awards internationally at major debate tournaments, business case competitions, model UN conferences, mooting competitions, and writing competitions. Currently studying law at the University of Sydney on the Vice-Chancellor's Scholarship, Rebecca is passionate about making debate accessible to all.
Key Achievements
- Grand Finalist - Canadian National Championships
- Quarterfinalist - US National Championships
- Top Speaker - University of British Columbia Debate Tournament
- Scholarship Recipient - University of Sydney
Archie Wolifson
Senior Debate Coach
A scholarship student at the University of Sydney, Archie is the 3rd Ranked Reply Speaker in Australia and Asia and a Quarterfinalist at the 2025 World University Debating Championships. His remarkable record as a Grand Finalist at the 2023 BP World Championships makes him one of the best debaters in the world.
Timothy Hanna
Senior Debate Coach
Pursuing Law and Arts at the University of Sydney, Tim is a 14-time intervarsity grand finalist and 4-time champion. Under his guidance, students have advanced to the Semi-Finals of the Oxford Schools Championships and the Octo-Finals of the International Debating Championship.
Gabrielle Wong
Senior Debate & Public Speaking Coach
Gabrielle represented Canada on the 2019–2020 national debate team and currently serves as President of the Debate and Speech Association of British Columbia. A Grand Champion at BP BC Provincials and Grand Finalist at Canadian Nationals, she studies at Simon Fraser University.
Rose Oh
Senior Debate Coach
A pre-med student at Queen's University with over five years of coaching experience, Rose made history as the first Canadian to receive a Gold Bid at the US Tournament of Champions. Originally from South Korea, she brings a unique international perspective to her coaching.
Serina Guo
Senior Debate & WSC Coach
Pursuing Law and Economics at the University of Sydney, Serina competed at the WSC Tournament of Champions at Yale and is a Quarterfinalist at the Australasian Women and Gender Minorities Championships. She has four years of coaching experience and has led teams to finals at major Sydney tournaments.
Finn Liu
Senior Debate Coach
With five years of competitive experience in CNDF and British Parliamentary debate, Finn has earned awards at provincial and national tournaments. He is passionate about helping students develop the confidence to express their opinions analytically and persuasively.
Emily Cui
Debate & WSC Coach
A Duke University student entering her 5th year coaching at DSDC, Emily has found success at tournaments both nationally and internationally, including winning the Canada Cup and reaching the Octo-Finals at the Stanford Invitational. She is dedicated to helping students discover their passion for debate.
Catherine Wong
Debate & Public Speaking Coach
A University of Toronto student ranked as one of Canada's best debaters, Catherine has earned multiple Top Speaker awards at provincial and national tournaments. She has coached at DSDC for over two years, sharing the confidence and persuasion skills debate has given her.
Anisha Biswas
Debate Coach
A UBC Neuroscience student with over five years of coaching experience, Anisha has competed at regional, provincial, and national tournaments. She co-founded a debate club at a local elementary school to spread the benefits of public speaking to younger students.
Akash Krishnamurthy
Debate Coach
One of BC's top debaters with multiple Champion and Top Speaker titles, Akash started as a DSDC student and now coaches the next generation. His passion for debate was sparked at DSDC, and he is committed to sharing that same enthusiasm with his students.
Annika Wang
Debate Coach
Annika Wang is a competitive debater and coach with experience at the highest levels of the sport. She was ranked Overall Best Speaker at the Australia-Asia Intervarsity Debating Championship 2024 and was a Masters Grand Finalist at the World Universities Debating Championship 2025. Born and raised in Beijing, she grew up competing in Chinese debating and Public Forum before going on to the international stage. She now coaches across British Parliamentary, Asian Parliamentary, World Schools, Public Forum in both English and Chinese, 3v3, and Chinese debating. Annika has worked with more than 30 students across Years 7-12 at Reddam House, guided her team to the 2024 Eastside Semi-Finals, and currently designs training programs for more than 80 members of the University of Sydney Union Debating Society. Beyond debating, she is completing a double degree in Law and Financial Mathematics at the University of Sydney and brings the analytical rigor of both law and mathematics to every session.
Ming Su
Manager
Born and raised in Beijing, Ming is fluent in both Mandarin and English and brings deep experience in administration, operations, and client relations. She began her career at the China World Trade Center, later worked in Hong Kong as a General Manager's Assistant, and went on to co-found Hawk Eye Global Technologies with her father, where she played a key leadership role in business operations and strategy. Since DSDC was founded in 2017, Ming has served as a Manager focused primarily on client relations, program coordination, and maintaining a high standard of service for families. Her bilingual fluency and international experience help her support clients across a wide range of cultural and educational backgrounds.
Angela Meng
Teaching Assistant
Angela is a ninth-grade student at Fraser Heights Secondary School and is entering her fourth year in competitive debate. She first discovered public speaking through the World Scholar's Cup, then quickly fell in love with debate-specific argumentation and logic at DSDC. Over the past two years, she has become deeply involved in the debate world through strong tournament results and a growing interest in helping with coaching whenever she can. Outside of debate, Angela loves yelling at her hockey team, staying up until unreasonable hours to watch cars go in circles, and playing the piano.