A Nueva School junior is one of 12 students selected to represent the United States on the USA Debate National Team.

Ritika S., a member of the Class of 2028, will compete at international tournaments throughout the 2026-2027 academic year, Nueva School announced on Thursday, Sept. 3. She could be one of five students chosen to represent the country at the 2027 World Schools Debating Championships.

The selection is a first for Nueva's Speech and Debate program.

Nueva, an independent K-12 school with campuses in Hillsborough and San Mateo, described the selection process as highly competitive. The National Speech & Debate Association (NSDA), which has managed the USA Debate Team since 2013, picks the 12-member squad from a pool that includes returning national team members, national finalists and champions across multiple events. Applications for the 2026-2027 cycle closed June 25, and the team was announced in late August.

The stakes are high. At the 2026 World Schools Debating Championships in Nairobi, Kenya, in July, the United States reached the quarterfinals. American debater Aayush Appan won the best speaker award. Ritika's national team year could culminate at the 2027 edition of that championship.

Ritika built toward the selection over the past year. In the spring, she competed in the Cal Coast District qualifying tournament and earned a bid to the National Speech & Debate Tournament in Big Questions debate, with the chance to compete at the national tournament in Richmond, Virginia, in June.

Nueva's debate program has been on a broader upswing. Recent graduate Nate Bomze and his California Coast Gold team, composed of students from South Bay high schools and Nueva, reached the semifinal round of the World Schools event at the NSDA national tournament over the summer. The team placed third out of about 200 teams.

"They certainly showed they deserved to be there," Nueva debate coach Julie Herman said of Bomze's team in the Sept. 3 announcement.

Ritika will compete with the national team at international tournaments throughout the academic year. The next milestone: whether she is among the five selected for the world championships.