Aditya Chordiya

If I hadn’t met Aditya two years ago, my life would be drastically different. At the time, I was a freshman with a serious stutter. I could barely finish a three-minute speech without stumbling seven or eight times. I had no experience, didn’t come from an education-focused background, and wasn’t confident. I didn’t think I’d really get far in this activity. But Aditya didn’t care about any of that. It was never about that for him. He didn’t see a freshman with a stutter. He saw someone worth coaching. And he showed up for me from the very beginning, even when I didn’t think anyone would. One of the first things I remember him doing was pulling me aside and giving me a quick compliment on my pacing, then immediately pointing out everything else I needed to fix. That’s when I realized Aditya isn’t the “Yes Man” you might expect. He’s not here to flatter anybody, especially not you. He’s here to make you better. If an idea is bad, he’ll tell you. If you get destroyed in cross-ex drills, he’ll explain exactly why and show you how to fix it. And when you improve, he’ll be the first to say it and genuinely congratulate you. What makes Aditya different is that he actually sees you for who you are. He puts in the time and is passionate about helping his students grow. He teaches you to speak better and think better. There’s still a lot I want to improve, but I can confidently say this after 2 years of Aditya’s coaching: I speak with more confidence, more clarity, and more purpose than I ever thought possible. Aditya didn’t just help me become a better public speaker. He helped me become someone I can be proud of. Beyond debate, he’s become a mentor and a friend, and someone who makes this activity worth showing up for. If you’re looking for a coach who’ll take a real chance on you, I couldn’t recommend anyone better than Aditya.

Aditya Chordiya is one of the most intellectual and knowledgeable coaches I have ever encountered within speech and debate. His coaching style allows for sessions to be conversations and discussions as opposed to lectures, and it makes you feel like you’re truly getting better each time. He helps you not just understand your weaknesses, but also demonstrates how you could use them to become the best possible speaker you can be. Before all else, Aditya is my friend and he’s the reason I've gone as far as I have in my career thus far.  

Being coached by Aditya has truly been an honor and an amazing experience. When I first joined debate I didn’t know what I was doing (at all) but Aditya’s patience and belief in every single student that he met made staying worthwhile. Aditya is the kind of coach who is always the first to celebrate your wins and just as quickly there to support you through the challenges. He constantly sacrifices his own time to be there to support all of his students and always spends time getting to know his students. Through all of the ups and downs, he constantly reminds me, and all of his students alike, that in order to enjoy success you have to go through the failures. Through his coaching, I have learned to value the importance of every topic I talk about. How even a topic like semiconductors, which might not be the most interesting to me, has  real world impacts that affects someone’s everyday life. He’s taught me to research thoroughly and never stop learning, because everything we discuss has the potential to affect someone’s life. Outside of debate, his guidance has taught me the importance of using my voice to speak up for the voiceless, a lesson I will carry with me long after tournaments end. Having Aditya as a coach is truly an honor and I am endlessly grateful for the dedication, wisdom, and heart that he gives.