Annual SVUDL Alumni Dinner Celebrates Community and Connection

Last month, SVUDL hosted its Annual Alumni Dinner, an evening centered on connection, reflection, and celebration of our SVUDL community. Alumni from across generations joined us, from those who competed in Speech and Debate over a decade ago to students completing their first year of college, alongside members of the SVUDL Board of Directors and Advisory Committee, community partners, and staff.

CEO Rolland Janairo, opened the evening by welcoming attendees and expressing gratitude for the continued strength of the SVUDL community and family. Kwodwo Moore, SVUDL’s Director of Programming, followed by emphasizing the importance of alumni engagement and highlighting what has been a particularly strong year of involvement and community building.

The evening quickly came to life as attendees engaged with icebreaker questions placed on their name tents, sparking more meaningful conversations. Over a shared meal of Italian cuisine, alumni reconnected with old friends, met new faces, and built connections across different stages of life and career.

For many, the night was also a moment of reflection. As alum Kierra Jackson shared, “It was great catching up with other SVUDL alum, staff, and board members. It’s been 10 years since I joined SVUDL as a high school sophomore, and I truly see how many people devoted their time and energy to my success. It always feels good to come home and see those who laid a foundation for the young professional I would eventually become.”

Throughout the evening, alumni also had the opportunity to build relationships with SVUDL Board and Advisory Committee members, gaining firsthand insight, mentorship, and connections to support their academic and professional paths.

Reflecting on the experience, Ojas Gandhi (current student at UC Santa Cruz) shared, “I was thankful to be invited to such an amazing event that brought alums from different paths in life together with the SVUDL team and Board members. From education and networking to industry and high school counseling, it was a very insightful night.”

Moments like these underscored the deeper impact of the evening. As Director of Programming Kwodwo Moore reflected, “I had a great time seeing alumni, both old and new, eating together and sharing their stories of debate and how those stories have carried them through their lives. It was a demonstration of the power of not only debate, but the community that their presence created. They are the reason I do this job, and this was a beautiful reminder of that for me. It means even more that our alumni were the ones who planned and executed this dinner!”

A highlight of the evening was honoring our Community Partner of the Year, Vu Quang. Vu has been a constant and impactful presence in the SVUDL community, attending nearly every tournament and alumni event, mentoring current Policy Debate students at his alma mater of Yerba Buena High School, and generously sharing his knowledge. This year, he has also taken on an active coaching role with Yerba Buena teams and supported students through the Urban Debate National Championship tournament. His dedication, consistency, and quiet leadership have made a lasting difference for students and the broader SVUDL community.

We extend our sincere thanks to everyone who attended and helped make this evening so special, especially our Board and Advisory Committee members for their continued support. Events like these remind us that SVUDL is more than a program - it’s a lifelong community.