Those who know Erika Yu (‘23) even in passing will no doubt describe her as the perfect extrovert. The debate team’s president, she’s vibrant, cheerful, brimming with energy, and is never at a loss for words. But these characteristics didn’t always come naturally to Yu. 

“When I was younger I was really shy, and I was very scared to do presentations and public speaking. With my parent’s encouragement, I joined a debate class in middle school and I began to enjoy it. I wouldn’t call myself a full extrovert now, but my personality has definitely changed because of debate,” said Yu. 

With two years of debate experience under her belt, Yu entered high school and joined the Amador Valley debate team. She competed in numerous events, placing in the top 32 at the James Logan Martin Luther King Tournament and qualifying to compete in the National Speech and Debate Association Tournament. During her senior year, she was elected President of the school debate team. 

“My biggest advice for people looking to get into speech and debate is just dive into it. You will always worry that you aren’t prepared or that you need more evidence or more time. Go to a competition, present your speech–that’s the best way to get real feedback and grow and improve,” said Yu. 

Despite her knack for public speaking and debate, Yu hopes to pursue a career in medicine. Sticking with debate has helped her develop good communication skills and the ability to work well with a team, which are crucial skills for her aspired field. 

“A common misconception about debate is that you should only join if you’re interested in being a lawyer or majoring in political science, but that’s actually not true. A lot of people going into STEM fields like me want to improve their public speaking skills because it’s such a versatile skill,” said Yu. 

Outside of Speech and Debate, Yu is also passionate about volunteering. Partnering with the Bay Area Urban Debate League (BAUDL), she also helps set up debate programs in underfunded school districts and partners with local middle schools to do the same in her community. 

“Historically middle school Speech and Debate programs are not well funded and there’s not enough money to hire coaches. Programs like BAUDL have helped many kids stay on the graduation pathway,” said Yu. 

In her spare time, Yu does Alzheimer’s research in the Aspiring Scholars Directed Research Program with her best friend Xina Wang. Yu credits her friends as her major inspiration, both creatively and intellectually. 

“Speech and debate changed Erika’s life. She has become a more eloquent speaker and she’s very good at convincing me to do things. She’s very smart and I love working with her,” said  Xina Wang (‘23).

From Speech and Debate captain to volunteering outside of school, Yu has had to juggle many interests during her time at Amador Valley. Her advice to incoming freshmen is to try different activities and indulge in their interests. 

“Don’t set your sights on something too early. Make sure to branch out in high school and try new things, especially as a freshman. It’s not as easy to branch out later, so (you want to) keep your options open,” said Yu.