Wenatchee High School sophomore Vivian Noyd will be an intern for Executive Director of the National Speech and Debate Association, J. Scott Wunn. Noyd will start her internship on June 14 during the National Speech and Debate tournament in Dallas.

“It’s a big deal. Nobody has ever [been] chosen from North Central Washington before and I’ll get a lot of experience behind the scenes of debate. I will potentially [be] helping to judge. The majority of it though will be spent in the tab room where they take the ballots back to determine scores. I will also be doing logistics like registration or helping people find their rooms. It’s a pretty broad internship,” Noyd said.

Chosen out of the many people who applied from around the country, Noyd stood out from the crowd.

“I learned about it through my coach. We had to do some paper work and a form of interest. The headquarters are in Dallas so I had a Skype interview with the president of the association and a person from public relations. That interview was centered around why I wanted to be an intern and then my forensics experience,” Noyd said.

Noyd started participating in the Speech and Debate program at Foothills Middle School her sixth grade year and has been hooked ever since.

“I was one of those kids who was really involved in acting and drama, except I couldn’t sing and couldn’t dance. When I found debate, I really blossomed and liked it because I got the chance to speak about things that I was really passionate about,” Noyd said.

The internship will also allow Noyd to compete at the National competition in secondary and consolation events.

“This is super important. No one from the Pacific Northwest has ever been in the top 60 at Nationals,” assistant coach of the WHS debate team Brian Higgins said. “Most of the people who do well at Nationals are from Texas or the East Coast because of the big forensic programs there. She’s an underdog.”

Since its creation in 1925, the National Speech and Debate tournament is the largest academic challenge in the world that involves high school students with more than 3,300 who compete. This year the WHS Debate team placed fourth at the State competition. WHS will  send more students to Nationals than ever before. In addition to Noyd, seniors Kiana Wilson, Serena Fitzgerald, Wallace O’Donnell, and Ashley Techavimol will compete.

“Vivian will be working with people who train future politicians and actors. It’s a huge network of people. This will really help get some attention on our great debaters,” Higgins said.

“I think what’s really important about Speech and Debate is being able to connect with the people you are talking to,” Noyd said. “Being involved in an organization that I’m so passionate about will be really fun this summer.”