New Year, New Coaches

Happy 2023!

We'll keep this brief. Our spring 2023 classes start the week of January 9, 2023. We're offering over 100 different sections through our online, Tustin, San Marino, and Thousand Oaks sites--and far more when you consider the classes sponsored by our partners in Cupertino, Rancho Cucamonga, Eastvale, Palos Verdes, and Texas. ModernBrain is expanding rapidly. We're grateful to you--our ModernBrain family--for your support throughout this process.

If you're interested in joining, we're happy to accept you at any time. We discount classes if you join later in the year, but you don't want to miss the foundational lessons in those first few weeks.

• If you want a free interview and trial class to figure out the right fit for you, you can schedule it here.
• If you already know what class you want, you can sign up here.

We also want to introduce some of our newer coaches to you. Welcome to coaches Amanda (SoCal), Andrew (Texas), Gabriel (Cupertino), and Isenberg (Texas).

• Coach Amanda is a decade-long live events and production coordinator and innovator in arts and media with an M.A. in Broadcast & Electronic Communication Arts and a B.A. in Communication Studies from San Francisco State University. In her years competing, she was the recipient of the highest-ranking gold medal in persuasive speaking and a silver medalist in informative speaking at the Phi Rho Pi National Forensics Competition. As well, she has placed highest ranking gold in informative and persuasive speaking at California Community Colleges Forensics Association’s state-wide competition. She loves to stay an active member of the speech community by volunteering as a judge for the Academic Decathlon and in after-school programs for young competitors. As a believer in all things just, Amanda takes responsibility in supporting programs that have an impact and supply opportunities for change. When she’s not coaching it is gardening, cooking, and family time that make her soul grow.
• Coach Andrew Person is a nationally ranked Model United Nations competitor with numerous Best Position Papers and Best Delegate awards at the high school and collegiate levels, the latter through the Baylor University MUN traveling team. Following university, he worked as a teacher, grade level administrator, and curriculum writer for an internationally-focused Texas high school, while founding and leading an MUN team to victory at several conferences. In this role as an educator, Andrew taught Debate, Diplomacy, Government, Economics, and World Geography. Andrew was born and raised in Thailand, and has conducted extensive research on migrant worker rights and education outcomes, presenting these finding at conferences. He additionally served as a research assistant to a UNICEF consultant. Andrew is a passionate coach and avid reader, and is dedicated to fostering a new generation of globally minded servant leaders.
• Coach Gabriel is a member of Stanford's nationally ranked Debate Society and Mock Trial team. He was a NSDA National Runner up in US Extemp, and California State Champion in US Extemp. His placings in US Extemp at the national and California state tournament, his placing in public forum debate at the California state tournament, and his NSDA speaker points are all the highest in his high school's storied history. He was also the founder and captain of his high school's successful Mock Trial team. As a captain of his high school's speech and debate team as well, he has coached many novice and varsity students throughout the years. A pre-law public policy major, Coach Gabriel is dedicated to providing students the argumentation, public speaking, and critical thinking skills needed for both competitive success and real-world change. 
• Coach Isenberg has been studying and performing in the forensics world for over a decade and is a nationally ranked competitor in theater and speech. He was a national finalist in Duet Acting at the National Individual Events Tournament of Champions, and was ranked second in the Texas Forensics Association for Poetry. After a highly successful competitive career, he studied preaching and youth ministry at Johnson University in Tennessee, where he was equipped to teach and guide students toward confidence in public speaking. For the past several years, Coach Isenberg has used his skills and talents to teach children ranging from second grade to high school, and has mentored nationally ranked writers since. He is overjoyed to be teaching with ModernBrain, and looks forward to the opportunity to enrich young students with a passion for betterment through public speaking.

They can't wait to meet you, and we're so excited for you to meet them.

Here's to an amazing new year!