Meet Katherine Kwong, who competed in Stoa from 2009 to 2013. She received her BA in English from Westmont College in 2017 and was later named the 2019–20 Audio Fellow in the Stonybrook Audio Podcast Fellowship Program.
One of Katherine’s favorite aspects about Stoa was impromptu speaking. “It was a real thrill for me to step into a room with no previous knowledge of the prompt and weave together a speech. [W]hen Mars Hill was introduced, I really gravitated to the critical thinking, philosophy, and empathy that was involved in getting to the heart of a message...I use skills from both events daily in my own life.” Katherine also stated, “The strength of Stoa is in its community and that really shines through the regular tournament season.”
After graduating from Stoa, Katherine has served as an alumni judge, and is an active member of the alumni community. She also hosts a podcast titled “This Book That Book.” Interviewing is something that really matured in me naturally from my speech and debate days,” Katherine shares.
How did Katherine’s family learn about Stoa? Through a google search? Find out and read more here.