The people behind the mic.
Take the Mic is built and led by students. Here are the people making it happen — teaching, organizing, and expanding access one chapter at a time.
Iniya
Founder & Executive Director
Iniya is a high school student passionate about debate and education. After four years of competitive speech and debate, primarily in Lincoln-Douglas, she has developed strong skills in research, critical thinking, and persuasive communication. Debate has shown her how transformative the ability to speak confidently and advocate effectively can be, which inspired her to found Take The Mic to expand access to public speaking and advocacy skills for students who need them most. Outside of debate, she enjoys doing taekwondo, hanging out with friends, and listening to music.
Pranshu Jha
Director of Programs
Pranshu is a student at Monta Vista High School who loves participating in speech. He has championed four tournaments in Original Oratory, and been top three at a CFL tournament. He loves speaking in Original Oratory and enjoys participating in platform events, having done speech for the last 4 years.
Amy Li
Director of Chapters
Amy has been involved in World Schools Debate for two years and is also active in FBLA. She brings experience in communication, teamwork, and leadership to Take the Mic and is passionate about helping make speech and debate more accessible to students.
Want to join the team?
We're always looking for students, volunteers, and mentors who want to help expand access to speech and debate.
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