Spencer Chaisanguanthum Featured in NorthJersey.com
c/o Eloquence Academy
Yesterday, Spencer Chaisanguanthum, Founder & Chief Executive Officer of Eloquence Academy, was featured in the Record, NorthJersey.com, Yahoo Life, and MSN.com.
Known by its slogan “Friend of the People It Serves,” the Record is an investigative newspaper published by USA Today since 1895. It covers everything from local police, crime, and politics to high school sports and dining, with a hyper-local focus on Bergen, Essex, Hudson, and Passaic counties in Northern New Jersey. Articles in the Record appear digitally on NorthJersey.com and are reprinted in outlets like Yahoo Life and MSN.com. Ultimately, the Record has the second-largest circulation of New Jersey’s daily newspapers, with over 12 million monthly pageviews.
Elizabeth Faragi offers detailed insight into Eloquence Academy, highlighting initial motivations for starting the organization, recruitment efforts, the first-ever tournament (Winter Cup in December 2022), weekly classes, Impactful Storytelling, the Regional Director program, and challenges and obstacles Spencer faced from adults questioning the legitimacy or efficacy of a youth-led group. Spencer describes how his students “develop soft skills and just strengthen their ability to talk with one another,” and how he personally learned to “lean on the people that did believe in us and start to build a network from there.” Additionally, Elizabeth shares the good news of Spencer’s Russ Berrie Gen Z Making a Difference Award.
Read today by searching for “Meet the 16-year-old NJ student bringing debate to rural districts.”
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Eloquence Academy, Inc. is the world’s largest youth-led 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing equitable academic debate opportunities for rural and Title 1 students. The Academy has offered live debate programs for 3,600 students, partnerships with 122 schools and nonprofit organizations, and online resources for 20,000 learners. Bolstered by 225 volunteers, it has prepared students across all 50 states and 102 countries for college readiness, career engagement, and community impact. Follow on Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube.
