All Teachers

Adam Pepper

8+ years of experience in public speaking through high school and college, with a focus on Parliamentary debate followed by extensive experience in Spontaneous Speech events at the high school and college level.
Awards:
University of La Verne: Debate Performance Scholarship Winner of 2017
University of La Verne: Dean’s List – College of Arts and Sciences – Fall 2017 – Fall 2020
Rocky Mountain British Parliamentary Debate IV: Champion
Point Loma British Parliamentary Debate Invitational: Top Speaker
National British Parliamentary Debate Championships: Three-Time University of La Verne Representative
World Universities Parliamentary Debate Championships: Two-Time University of La Verne Representative
Oxford University British Parliamentary Debate IV: University of La Verne Representative

Extra Curriculars: 
Redlands Senior High Speech and Debate (Spontaneous Events Captain 2 Years, President 1 Year)
 University of La Verne Debate Team: 2017-Present [President of La Verne Debate 2019-2020]
 University of La Verne Chamber Singers : 2017-2020 [President 2020, Vice President 2019-2020]
 La Verne High School Debate Camp |Volunteer Student Coach | Summer 2017
 American Parliamentary Debate High School Tournament of Champions: Finalist Judge

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Colin Kramer

Colin Kramer has hosted hundreds of live events and workshops in the past decade, including the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards V.I.P. After-Party in 2009.

His academic experience includes studies in Speech and Debate, Theatre Arts, and Political Science at Oxford University, Saddleback College, as well as the University of California, Berkeley.

In 2003 he was invited to join the Saddleback College Forensics Team, led by Larry Radden (which was recently chosen to represent all of California at the Interstate Oratory Competition).

In 2012, Mr. Kramer won two After-School Enrichment awards for his work at a non-profit teaching agency.
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Erika Myers

Erika  Myers teaches 2nd grade at Ribet Academy College Preparatory in  Los Angeles where she teaches Language Arts, Mathematics, Science and Social Studies.  She just completed her 7th year teaching at Ribet Academy.  Erika also taught students in the 3rd – 8th grades in a variety of subjects including Elementary Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, Spelling, Reading, and Algebra.  Proudly, Erika is a graduate of USC’s Marshall School of Business where she earned a B.S. in Business Administration with an emphasis in Finance.

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Nina Canelo

Nina Canelo has been a full time teacher for Los Angeles School District for more than ten years. She is learned and experienced in child behavior, psychology, and curricula. Warm and loving towards students, she is goal-oriented and possess great classroom management skills. She has taught at Kudos Storytelling and summer school and is loved by all students.
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Gabriel Lopez

Gabriel started competing in speech and debate in high school; he was a member of “Junior States of America”, a nationwide youth debate and leadership organization. During the two years he won Silver in IPDA at Jannese Davidson Memorial, and Bronze NPDA, from Fall Champs at Cerritos College, and two “Best Speaker” awards. In college, he excelled in his studies, majoring in "Communication Studies" and "Debate Methods.", and was elected and served as student government president. He consistently displayed impressive
performance, earning recognition from his professors and from tournaments.

Gabriel has a warm and approachable personality, coupled with valuable classroom management experience. His teaching approach is creative, systematic,
and has garnered the admiration of students as well as the trust of parents.
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Catherine Szeto

Catherine Szeto is a distinguished alumna of Kudos with a strong background in speech and debate, which she developed during her time at the prestigious Harvard Westlake School. She later graduated from New York University with a degree in Music Business and a minor in Child Development and Social Intervention.

Caty began her involvement with Kudos at the age of 10, where she became known for her versatility and eloquence. She actively participated in various competitive speaking events, consistently demonstrating her ability to present clear and persuasive arguments. At Harvard Westlake, Caty competed in several events, including:

Impromptu Speaking
Extemporaneous Speaking (Extemp)
Poetry Interpretation
Original Oratory (OO)
Expository Speaking
Public Forum Debate
Harvard Westlake School, known for its distinguished debate program, provided Caty with rigorous training in public speaking. The program’s tradition of excellence and top-tier coaching helped shape her debating skills, enabling her to excel at both the state and national levels.

After high school, Caty continued to refine these skills at New York University, further developing the abilities she had cultivated during her competitive speaking career.

Now, Caty is eager to give back to the community where her passion for speech and debate first began. She has returned to Kudos with excitement, ready to share her experience with younger students, inspiring and mentoring the next generation of debaters and public speakers. Her journey has come full circle, as she now helps nurture the same interests in others that once set her on her path to success.

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Karrie Aslanyan

Karrie graduated from California State University at Los Angeles, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Film and TV Communications.

For five years, she worked as Case Manager at Department of Public Social Services in LA County. Her experience in Education included being an Afterschool Instructor at Los Feliz Charter School of the Arts (now California Creative Learning Academy) in LA, planning and implementing many craft activities; and a Tutor at Elite Academy, where during the pandemic, helping kids completed their school days on Zoom and then tutoring them in generalized homework and studies. In the summer she served at Camp Kinneret as a Camp Counselor, in a nature specialist position, for elementary students.

Her background in service, creative content, arts, and education, coupled with excellent class management skills, making her teaching effective. At Kudos, Karrie now teaches first and second graders “Storytelling” Class.
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Mike Bietz

Mike Bietz is one of history’s most successful debate coaches, with a career of over 25 years as a program head for Policy Debate at Apple Valley High School 1998-1999 (Minnesota); Lincoln-Douglas at Edina High School 1999-2005 (Minnesota); and the full program at Harvard-Westlake School 2007-2024 (California). He has been inducted into the Tournament of Champions Coaches Hall of Fame and a member of the Coach’s Gold Key Society at Emory University’s Barkley Forum for High School Debate – two of the most prestigious honors a national circuit debate coach can earn. He is the first and only debate coach from Southern California to receive such honors.

Mr. Bietz has coached Qualified 98 entries to the Tournament of Champions as a program director, Won 14 National Championships (2 NSDA, 2 TOC, 1 NDCA, 1 MSPDP, 8 Novice Nationals), 11 National Runners-Up (3 TOC, 3 NDCA, 5 Novice Nationals), 14 National Semi-finalists, and total of 101 National Elim Round Participants. Beyond the National Championships, his students are consistently contenders at every invitational at every level of competition. Beyond being a successful debate coach, Mr. Bietz is a trusted member of the community. He is a member of the Tournament of Champions Advisory Board (current) and the Los Angeles Metropolitan Debate League (current). He has served as President of the National Debate Coaches Association and was a board member. He also currently serves as a Tabroom staff member or event director at the National Speech and Debate National Tournament, the Tournament of Champions Digital Debate Series, The Stanford National High School Invitational, The Cal Invitational (Berkeley), the Jack Howe Invitational (CSU Long Beach), and the Trojan Invitational (USC)
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Noor Tabba

Noor Tobba Bio – Chinese and English

When Noor Tabba was attending high school in Rancho Cucamonga, she served as the speech and debate team captain for three of her four years. In 2017, she earned first place for individual speaking performance in the World Schools Debate at the National Speech & Debate Association (NSDA) tournament! She also won the championship title three times in regional Lincoln-Douglas debate competitions. While majoring in Philosophy at the University of La Verne, she participated in debate competitions against strong teams such as UCLA, achieving excellent results. Noor has also won numerous awards in categories like Oratory and Extemporaneous Speaking, demonstrating strong skills in logic and argumentation.
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Sean J. Manross brings over a decade of experience coaching championship-level chess on international platforms. Known to his students as “International Chess Master Sean,” his teaching blends critical thinking, analytical reasoning, and strategic foresight into engaging and easy-to-understand lessons, tailored for students of all ages and skill levels.

Master Sean is the champion of the 45th Annual American Scholastic Open, and his students have consistently claimed top spots at international youth chess championships and the American Scholastic Open. He has coached multiple teams to first-place finishes in 2013, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2021, and 2022.

Sean has also served as President of the Southern California International Chess Federation (2018-2021) and has represented the U.S. in international chess. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in History from the University of London (2020) and is currently pursuing a Master’s degree (ALM) in History at Harvard University Extension School, set to graduate in May 2023.

Kudos is excited to welcome Sean to guide our summer school students, bringing top-tier instruction to our community. Students will experience structured learning that enhances their logical thinking, and we look forward to the Kudos chess team competing in tournaments under his expert leadership this fall!

This is a fantastic opportunity for children to sharpen their minds! Strengthen logic skills that complement debate with our flexible online tutoring. Become a member of the Kudos chess team! Call 626-286-6889 for more information.

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Tabitha Chen

Tabitha Chen Bio- English (1)
While at Vanguard University of Southern California, Tabitha was awarded the Lambda Pi Eta Outstanding Communication Major Award. She graduated Summa Cum Laude earning a B.A. in Communication.

COMPETITION EXPERIENCE
Debate (辯論比賽經歷)
Lincoln-Douglas Value Debate (林肯道格拉斯價值觀辯論)
*2 years of competition experience
*Earned one checkmark in each competition season
Parliamentary Debate (英式國會辯論)
*1 year of competition experience

Speech (演講比賽經歷)
Original Oratory (說服力演講)
*2 years of competition experience (high school)
*Qualified for nationals both years
Demonstration Speech (簡報式演講)
*1 year of competition experience
*Qualified for national, became a national quarter-finalist
Impromptu (即席演講)
*1 year of competition experience
*Earned a checkmark (top 40%) at 1st tournament competing in Impromptu

Coaching Experience (教練經歷)
Elementary Speech and Debate Comprehensive (3rd-5th grades)
Elementary/Middle School Nationals Team (4th-6th grades)
Interpretive/Impromptu speech (4th-6th grades)
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Thomas Yungerberg

Graduated with honors from Berry College in Georgia, majoring in Communication and minoring in Business Administration. He served as a high school debate coach at ECC College for a duration of five years, where he was responsible for teaching courses in "Speech" and "Public Forum Debate." With a wealth of experience spanning eight years, Thomas not only excels in the realm of debate but also showcases his talents as a writer and playwright, with a specialization in English literature and the works of Levi.

During his time in university, Thomas achieved five state champion titles in "Persuasive Speaking" and "Dramatic Interpretation," along with earning numerous accolades in "Poetry Interpretation." Coach Tom has a remarkable ability to simplify intricate debate topics associated with current events and policies, all while strengthening the foundational skills of public speaking. While he values progress, he also recognizes the significance of rigorous foundational training. His history of successful coaching experiences serves as a testament to this balanced approach.