Completing the Circle

Li Zhu was pre-med in college. "But Speech and Debate had a very direct impact on the path I ultimately took. My high school coach and her husband were two of the people who nudged me toward law school. Her husband became an attorney at the firm where I work now, and he's a major reason I ended up here and ultimately became a Partner."

That personal history and connection to Speech and Debate is what drew Li to SVUDL. "I know firsthand that the value of debate goes well beyond trophies or tournaments," he says. "A great coach or mentor can see something in a student, open a door, or suggest a path that the student may not have imagined for themselves." Today, Li sits on SVUDL's Advisory Committee, and also helps his former high school coach work with her students.

Li sees a direct line between what SVUDL teaches and what happens every day at Robins Kaplan. "Our work requires digging into difficult issues, thinking critically, and being willing to take on challenging arguments. Those are the same skills that students develop through Speech and Debate."

For Li, the firm's sponsorship comes down to access. "SVUDL gives students the opportunity to develop skills and confidence that can change what they believe is possible for themselves. Supporting Words to the Wise is one way our firm chooses to help make those opportunities available to more students."

"Debate teaches you that you can walk into a room, engage seriously with difficult ideas, and have something worth saying. It teaches resilience, because you learn that you are going to lose rounds, get arguments wrong, and occasionally have no idea how to answer something. Then you come back the next weekend and try again."

"Success means those students are pursuing whatever path is meaningful to them with the confidence to speak up, ask hard questions, advocate for themselves and others, and know that they belong in rooms where important decisions are being made. Eventually, they do what their coaches and mentors did for them. Someone helped open the door that ultimately led me to Robins Kaplan. This completes the circle, and is why I'm proud our firm supports SVUDL and Words to the Wise."

Thank you, Robins Kaplan, for your continued generous support of Words to the Wise!