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.
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.
Gabrielle Wong
Senior Debate & Public Speaking Coach
Gabrielle represented Canada on the 2019–2020 national debate team and served as the President of the Debate and Speech Association of British Columbia for four years. A Grand Champion at BP BC Provincials and Grand Finalist at Canadian Nationals, she is a Simon Fraser University alumna and a master's student at the University of Toronto.
Rose Oh
Senior Debate Coach
A Doctor of Medicine student at the University of British Columbia with over 8 years of coaching experience at DSDC, 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.
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.
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
A member of Team Canada, Akash is one of Canada's top debaters, with multiple Champion and Top Speaker titles to his name. Akash began his debate journey as a DSDC student and has since returned as a coach, helping to train the next generation of debaters. His passion for debate was first sparked at DSDC, and he is committed to inspiring that same enthusiasm and love of debate in his students.
Ethan Curry
Senior Debate Coach
Ethan is a law student at the University of Western Ontario and has been involved in competitive debate for the better part of the last decade. As a competitor, he was an octo-finalist at the World Universities Debating Championship (WUDC), a finalist at the North American Universities Championship, and a two-time national champion. Ethan has won 10 further tournaments and reached the finals of an additional 30. As a judge, he has adjudicated elimination rounds at WUDC, Yale IV, Cambridge IV, Oxford IV, and other major tournaments. He previously served as the head coach of the Panamanian national debate team and has coached students of all experience levels.
David Zu
Senior Debate Coach
David has debated competitively in high school and university for seven years, judged for four, and coached K-12 debate students for three. He has led multiple students to the finals of major Canadian British Parliamentary and World Schools competitions, including Waterloo, Hart House, and McGill. He served as President of the Hart House Debating Club from 2024-2025. Beyond debating, he is an incoming first-year law student, having graduated from Rotman Commerce at the University of Toronto. David enjoys listening to classical music, playing ultimate frisbee, and learning fun geography facts in his spare time.
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.
Ten Watanaprakarnchai
Debate Coach
A third-year student studying East Asian Studies and English at the University of Toronto, Ten actively serves as the Equity Officer for Hart House and the Ombudsperson for CUSID. As a competitive debater, she has reached a tournament semifinal and won a novice championship final. Beyond competing, she is deeply committed to teaching debate to students.
Jessie Zhang
Teaching Assistant
A student at Fraser Heights Secondary with three years of competitive debating experience, Jessie has competed at the national level among the best debaters in Canada. She has found community and support through debate and is determined to share those joys with younger students.