Some grow through speed, others through strength.
She grows through thinking: step by step, shaping her understanding of the world.
Olivia Zhang, a Grade 4 student at SUIS Pudong, is finding her voice through every argument, every question, and every moment of reflection.
If you walk into my study, the first thing you’ll notice is not trophies, but a wall full of sticky notes.
“SLOW DOWN.” “Facts need evidence.” “Listen more than you speak.” “Pause emotions, not logic.”
These are my own “debate principles.”
Hi, I’m Olivia from Class 4B at SUIS Pudong — a student who loves to speak, and is learning how to think.
PART 01
Stories First, Debate Later
My journey didn’t begin with debate. It began with stories. I’ve always loved reading, and even more, sharing what I read. At SUIS, reading gradually became part of my daily life. From picture books to novels, from history to biographies, in both Chinese and English. Through reading, I felt as if I was walking through different worlds, meeting different people, and growing with them. Over time, all that input made me want to express something of my own.
That desire brought me onto the stage. My first storytelling speech was simple, even a little immature, but it earned me a small medal. More importantly, it helped me realize that I truly enjoyed expressing ideas. That was when I began to step into debate.
When I first started debate training in Grade 3, I slowly understood something important: debate is not about arguing loudly, but about making ideas stronger.
I still remember one topic:“Should primary school students be banned from using social media?”During the Q&A, my opponent asked:
“If we ban social media, won’t children lose opportunities to learn new things?”I paused for a moment, then replied:
“There are many ways to learn. But online information can be confusing, and young students may not be able to judge it well. We can use carefully selected educational apps instead.”
That moment taught me something simple but important: thinking clearly matters more than reacting quickly.
PART 02
In Grade 4, I joined the school team and took part in the World Scholar’s Cup (WSC) Regional Round. It was my first time competing as part of a team.
Preparing for WSC meant reading and learning far beyond textbooks: from climate change to AI ethics, from ancient civilizations to modern global issues.
The amount of knowledge was overwhelming, but also exciting.
Even before the competition began, I already felt I had gained something valuable. We also practiced debates repeatedly, simulating real situations, refining our responses, and pushing ourselves to react faster and think more clearly.
On competition day, one of our debate motions was: “AI should replace the best teachers.” We broke down the argument carefully—comparing the emotional influence of human teachers with the efficiency of AI.
At the same time, I noticed a key weakness in the opposing side: they defined “replace” as complete substitution. That became our turning point. We won all three debate rounds. When the results came out, I could hardly believe it: 10 Gold medals and 1 Silver.
Standing on the stage, I felt emotional. These medals were not just results, they were every night spent reading, every practice round repeated, and every time I started again after failing.
PART 03
In April, I returned to WSC Shanghai Regional Round. This time, there were 330 participants in my division, and the competition was even more intense. But instead of feeling nervous, I felt curious. I wanted to see how much I had grown.
One debate motion was:“To-do lists reduce productivity.”We were on the affirmative side, and it was a difficult position. We lost that round. But during the free debate, I experienced something different: the feeling of staying fully engaged and giving my best, even when the situation was not in my favor. That experience mattered.
After all the rounds, I once again earned 7 Golds and 3 Silvers. My individual debate ranking placed 5th among 330 scholars, and I ranked 8th in the six-subject Scholar’s Challenge. But this was not just my own progress. A strong team is never built by one person alone. I’m deeply grateful to my teammates, my coaches, and of course, to those strong opponents who pushed me to become better.
When we stop insisting on being right, we learn to listen, to reflect, and to understand more deeply.
The value of debate lies not only in conclusions, but in the thinking process itself.
PART 04
Over the past year, I’ve participated in different competitions, including ESDP and WSDA Junior. Sometimes I achieved top results, sometimes I didn’t win anything at all. Of course, I felt disappointed. But I also learned something very real: If you’re not good enough yet, keep practicing.
Every competition is another opportunity to improve. I’ve learned to stay calm, to accept imperfection, and to give time to the process and to myself.
Failure, in many ways, is the best teacher.
PART 05
I will keep debating. But I am no longer the “fast talker” who rushes to speak.
I’m learning to use logic to persuade, and composure to earn respect.
For me, debate is not just about medals.
It’s about thinking, understanding, and becoming a better version of myself.
