Arik Karim
Ascend Academy - Congressional Debate Coach
Arik Karim is a freshman studying international affairs at The George Washington University and recent graduate of Alexander W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts in West Palm Beach, FL. As a seven-year debate competitor, Dreyfoos Speech & Debate Team captain, and Ascend Online 2020 alum, Arik has finaled Harvard (12th), Yale (11th), Emory (8th), Sunvite (6th), NSDA Nationals: House (15th), George Mason (14th), Rose City (champion), and Blue Key (8th/5th/4th). He is additionally a two-time invitee to the Harvard and Blue Key Round Robins, placing fifth and championing, respectively. With extensive experience across Congressional, World Schools, and British Parliamentary Debate formats, Arik possesses a precise conceptual understanding of debating, equipped with technical argumentation skills to help students succeed. Arik is a firm believer in unlocking every student’s potential to discover and thrive in their own debating style. During his free time, Arik can be found mourning Aditya Chordiya’s haircuts, playing pickleball, sipping on coffee, and taking unhealthily long power naps—clearly, the caffeine isn't helping. He can't wait to work with students at Ascend!