Record Turnout at Southern California Middle School League Tournament — Kudos Debaters Crowned Champions, Speech Team Wins Three More Trophies!
- Kudos College of Youth Leadership
- Oct 26, 2011
- 3 min read
Published October 26, 2011

The first tournament of the new school year for the Southern California Middle School Speech and Debate League was recently held in San Gabriel. Despite a surge in participation, Kudos students lived up to expectations and brought home both gold and silver medals. Kudos Youth Leadership Academy stood out once again amidst fierce competi
tion, winning five trophies, including gold in Public Forum Debate, a category often seen as the crown jewel of the tournament.

The tournament took place on October 24 at Jefferson Middle School. The number of participants jumped from around 160 last year to 237 this year. Kudos students Victor Li and Jerry Wang triumphed in Public Forum Debate, defeating 25 other teams to claim the championship — making them the first Chinese-American students in the league’s history to win gold in this category.

Melinda Guo, who trains at Kudos’ Diamond Bar campus, made a stunning debut, nearly taking first place. Competing in Storytelling, the event with the most contestants (47 participants), Melinda remained undefeated through all three rounds, tying for first. In the final score comparison, she narrowly missed the top spot and placed second overall.
Three first-time competitors from Kudos tied for fourth place in the Expository (Informative Speaking with Visuals) event. Unfortunately, only one trophy was awarded. Kudos students Stanley Yu (Temple City campus), Keon Peng, and Richard Qi (Diamond Bar campus) all earned the same score after three tough rounds against over 20 competitors. Stanley edged ahead in individual points and brought home the trophy.
Kirk Wu, after narrowly missing awards several times before, showed unyielding determination and finally broke through in Dramatic Interpretation, earning fourth place out of 36 competitors.
Kudos Principal Laura Lin praised the students' strong performances and the incredible support from parents, especially in light of the overwhelming number of participants. She noted that while Kudos won four trophies at the previous tournament, this event marked a major step forward — not only in the number of awards but also in the prestige of winning Public Forum Debate. It’s a testament, she said, that with the right guidance, Chinese-American students can absolutely excel in mainstream events.
Principal Lin also emphasized the importance of competing in events where Chinese-American students have traditionally struggled. For instance, in the highly competitive Duet Interpretation category, which had 38 pairs (76 students) competing, Kudos sent only one team — and they came very close to winning. Andrew Guo and Jason Jia, both from the Diamond Bar campus, delivered a remarkable performance. In the first two rounds, they placed first in their sections and even earned perfect individual scores. Unfortunately, in the final round, they were randomly grouped with several top teams, which impacted their overall points. Just one more point would have placed them in the top four, potentially breaking the long-standing belief that this event is a “no-go zone” for Chinese-American competitors.
With these latest results, Kudos has now earned a total of 32 awards since entering league competitions in October of the previous year — including 2 national medals, 6 Southern California championships, and 6 second-place finishes.
Principal Lin shared that there are still three more league tournaments scheduled for both middle and elementary school students this academic year, and Kudos plans to participate in all of them. Parents are encouraged to contact Kudos to build a strong foundation for their children, enhance their skills, and expand their horizons through competition.
For inquiries, please call: (626) 286-6889
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