Sunny Sun: From a Speech & Debate Beginner at Kudos to a Stanford Student

On March 1, 2016, Sunny Sun, then a 5th grader, had no idea that her learning journey was about to take a new turn. On that very day, her mother picked up the phone and called Kudos, an organization dedicated to developing youth leadership. That call marked Sunny’s first step into the world of speech and debate.

Sunny began with the Speech and Debate Foundations course in 5th grade and then progressed to the Middle School Advanced Speech & Debate class in 6th grade. In the fall of 2017, Sunny’s talent and hard work caught the attention of the Kudos competition team coaches. After a rigorous selection process, she earned a coveted spot on the “Kudos Public Forum Debate Team.”

As a representative of Kudos, Sunny participated in numerous competitions, winning many trophies and accolades. Among her most impressive achievements was placing in the Top 12 out of 136 participants at the 2018 National Championship. That same year, she also finished as the runner-up in Public Forum Debate at the SCJFL tournament. Sunny continued her success in 2019 by securing 3rd place in Public Forum Debate at the Season 1 Southern California Debate League Tournament. This Fall, she will begin her new journey at Stanford University. Congratulations to Sunny on achieving this incredible milestone!