Charlie Gu

Ascend California & Ascend Online - Congressional Debate Specialty Instructor

Currently a senior at UC Berkeley, Charlie previously competed in Congressional Debate at Monte Vista High School. Notably, Charlie won the Senate Leadership Bowl Champion, placed second in the Senate, championed the Stanford University and UC Berkeley Invitationals, and finaled at the Tournament of Champions. He also placed third at the California State Tournament, fourth at the Harvard Round Robin (where he was the first debater from his school ever invited to compete), and top-six at the Martin Luther King Jr. Invitational three times, the Yale University Debate Invitational, and the Glenbrooks Invitational. Charlie has helped coach NSDA Champions and numerous finalists and winners of major invitationals. His philosophy when it comes to coaching is that Congress is more than just debating about pros and cons, but rather a pursuit of the truth, and a reliance on logic and reasoning over pure data. Therefore, his coaching emphasizes a nuanced, thorough understanding of the status quo, framing arguments, and the development of a speaking style personalized to each student. His mission as a coach is not just to make students better presenters and debaters, but also to improve the way students approach problems and make decisions. When he’s not coaching at Ascend, Charlie can be found walking his dog Snuffles, DJing, or playing pickleball. He’s hyped to be coaching at Ascend again for his 4th summer!