Kanva Thakeria

Hi Everyone! My name is Kanva, and I am running to be your convenor of the Debate Society for the upcoming year! 

As someone who has been debating since high school, I could not have found a better chance for me to contribute to the activity that played a huge role in building my confidence and I hope as your convenor I can play my part in ensuring debate is as fulfilling for you as it was for me! 

Before we go any further, a little bit about myself : 

• I am a first year law student at UCL
• I had the opportunity to be part of one of the UCL teams sent to the Oxford Intervarsity in October 2024 
• In highschool I had the chance to represent India at international debating competitions by being selected to join their national debate team
• I played a major role in the training of novices in my high school and also played a key role in the organisation of an intra-national debate tournament at my school while subsequently adjudicating at said tournament 

What do I hope to achieve as convenor : 

• Boost first year participation in the tournaments to be held
  • Despite having done debate before, I found that joining such a large society can be a bit daunting at first and it’s only later went on to find out how welcoming everyone else was and so I want to prevent that hesitation that people might have, like myself, in joining such tournaments 
• Active outreach to ensure broader participation in said tournaments
• Stronger coordination and robust communication to ensure a smooth sailing tournament