Vincent Sugira is a Senior 5 (junior) student from the King Mutara III Rudahigwa Family at Agahozo-Shalom.

Last month, Vincent was awarded the honor of 6th Best Speaker in East Africa at the East African Debate Championship.

Here is his story of becoming a successful debater:

Why debate: I wanted to improve my English and knew that debating would help. I was motivated by older students who had success in debate and I saw that the ASYV team brought back trophies from tournaments.

Before I came here, I didn't know that I could be a good debater or that I had any other talent but I wanted to bring back trophies of my own and see the world outside of the Village.

How I learned to debate: In December 2016, we went to the iDebate Rwanda boot camp. At the closing competition, we defeated other teams until the finals. The amazing thing was that both teams in the finals were from ASYV! In the end, we brought home the trophy and I was awarded the best speaker.

On strategy: My strategy is to keep discipline. Sometimes you'll find that someone is shouting in the debate but I never do that. I never rush.

Why I love debate: Debating makes me proud of myself. And, of course, I feel like I am raising the flag of ASYV.