Ben debated for Durham for three years where he achieved extensive success both on the local and national level. Most notably, he was the 2024 NSDA National Champion, 2023 National Runner-Up, semi-finalist at the gold TOC, and 2023 NC state champion. On the national circuit, Ben achieved a top—10 national ranking for two back-to-back seasons, was the champion of Princeton, Yale, Duke, and the King Round Robin, and amassed over 10 gold bids. He’s incredibly excited to work with and help you grow this summer at ISD!
Location: Online
Tess Segal
Tess has been doing speech & debate for 5 years, with national titles including two-time Original Oratory champion at Glenbrooks, making the NSDA stage in Informative Speaking, and appearing in final rounds of Oratory, Info, and POI and both the state and national levels. She’s a climate communication nerd whose best experience in high school was coaching novices as team captain, and she’s thrilled to extend that experience at ISD.
Jennifer Jerome
Jennifer Jerome is currently coaching at Millard West High School in Omaha, Nebraska. She has been coaching since 1989 and a member coach since 1996. She is a member of the NSDA Board of Directors. She has served on the Nebraska District Committee since 2002, serving as chair multiple times. In 2010, she was the local director for the NCFL Grand National Tournament held in Omaha and has served at the Archdiocese of Omaha League Director since 2006. Jennifer was awarded the James Thurber Distinguished Teacher award by the Nebraska Speech Communication and Theater Association in 2010. She also sits on the Board of Directors for Guided by Kids, a non-profit in Omaha, NE that gets students involved with their community by teaching critical thinking skills through speech and debate. She was the NSDA Nebraska State Educator of the Year in 2018. She has been awarded the NSDA Nebraska District Coach of the Year in 2015 and 2018. Along with numerous state champions and state finalists, Jennifer has coached students to out rounds, including finals, at all levels of national competition, including the 2018 NIETOC Expository Champion. In 2019, Jennifer was the coach of the NSDA Student of the Year. Jennifer is a four-diamond coach.