As Co-founder and CEO, Paul heads teacher training and development at Rose Institute.

Paul is a two-time national debate champion. He holds national accolades in competitive Drama, Impromptu, and Platform Speaking.

In his free time, Paul enjoys singing, baseball, and classic cars.

Nina Rose has a passion for teaching and communications. She qualified for the Stoa Nationals in all four years of debate in high school, ranking 2nd place in the nation for Team Policy Debate. She has won numerous tournaments in both Team Policy and Parliamentary Debate in both Stoa and the California High School Speech Association. Nina has more than eight years of teaching experience, coaching with Rose Debate for four years, as well as tutoring piano.

Nina studied English at UCLA and graduated Summa Cum Laude in June 2020. In her spare time, Nina enjoys reading, hiking, and camping.

Marc DeJager competed in national speech and debate competitions for five years, winning several national awards for both speech and debate. Some of his greatest competition accomplishments include placing 6th in Duo Interpretation at the Stoa National Tournament of Champions and 12th in Monologue. He has coached speech and debate for six years. Marc’s day job is as a Digital Accounts Manager, where he manages media campaigns for non-profit clients across the country. In his spare time, Mr. DeJager enjoys skiing, surfing, climbing, and anything outdoors. 

Aditya Bagga is a senior at Cupertino High School passionate about the crossover between business and education. Growing up with a strong understanding of money management, he dedicated himself to pioneering engaging financial education access for the next generation of youth. He founded Finatic, an international 501(c)(3) nonprofit partnered with Bank of America that has taught thousands of students. Outside financial education, he serves as his school’s Speech and Debate Club Vice President and has competed competitively for six years, ranking as high as Top 32 nationally and Top 30 statewide in Public Forum debate. Aditya loves to explore coffee shops and play pool in his spare time.

Mercedes Tamayo is a senior at San Jose State University double-majoring in Political Science and Philosophy and a member of her university’s Bioethics Debate Team. Mercedes’ background in cheerleading has taught her the importance of confidence and presence in front of a crowd. Last year, Mercedes coached 3 of her debate teams into the top 8 at the Rose Debate Spring Invitational Tournament, despite her students being among the youngest at the tournament and newest to debate. In her spare time Mercedes enjoys reading, movies, and learning music. 

Jack McKinnon is an undergraduate student at Stanford studying Philosophy and Classics. He hopes to study both theology and philosophy at a graduate level. Jack has been involved in public speaking since his toddler days, being a child actor for various commercial companies. He also has had an extensive background in speech and debate through his high school league, of which he was the Captain during his senior year. Jack enjoys playing golf in his spare time.

Abhay Acharya is a senior at Cupertino High and part-time student at De Anza College, focusing on Business Law. He has been involved in competitive speech and debate for 4 years, achieving success at both state and national levels. In middle and high school he competed in Public Forum debate, Impromptu speech, and a variety of supplemental events, qualifying and placing Top 32 at the Tournament of Champions in 2021 as well as attending the California State Championship in Public Forum debate. Abhay is also the President of his school’s speech and debate team, directing administrative activities for over two hundred competitors. In his free time, Abhay loves spending time with his puppy and reading.