Victoria Fekete '24, Akshaya Karanam '24 Named Academic All Americans

Congratulations to Akshaya Karanam '24 and Victoria Fekete '24 who have been recognized by the National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA) as Academic All Americans, a distinction that fewer than 2 percent of NSDA students earn each year. They are the first students in Mount Speech and Debate history to achieve this award.

 

To achieve this honor, students must have earned the NSDA's Degree of Superior Distinction, a GPA of 3.7 or above, and have completed at least five semesters of high school. Both students have trained, competed, and excelled at the state and national levels: Akshaya in Extemporaneous Speaking and Original Oratory, and Victoria in Public Forum Debate.

 

John Maldonado, English teacher and Assistant Athletic Director, said, "Akshaya and Victoria have spent countless hours researching and crafting arguments for their events, and are always eager to practice and improve. This award is representative of not only their competitive and academic excellence, but also their commitment to serving the community through the gift of public speaking."