Hannah Yao
(Co-Founder and President)
Hannah Yao is a senior at Amador Valley High School who loves reading, writing, journaling, and drawing. She has also been dancing for almost 10 years and has received numerous awards at dance competitions. Hannah enjoys working with children and has had many opportunities to teach and mentor younger students. She is passionate about helping kids build confidence in reading, writing, and speaking, which inspired her to become involved with SPEAK.
In addition, Hannah is an active member of DECA, where she is developing her skills in leadership, communication, teamwork, and business. She also participates in volunteer activities, including the Congressional Award program, and enjoys finding meaningful ways to give back to her community. Through her experiences in dance, drawing, academics, volunteering, and working with children, Hannah hopes to encourage other students to discover their interests, express themselves creatively, build confidence, and develop a lifelong love of learning.
Lawrence Wong
(President)
Lawrence Wong is a senior at Dougherty Valley High School with interests in writing, psychology, sports and music. With more than four years of tutoring and mentoring younger students, Lawrence has developed the patience and communication skill to help others build confidence in their abilities. His experiences working with younger children inspired him to join SPEAK, where he hopes to help students improve their English and public speaking skills. His patient and supportive teaching style guides students through challenges and helps them reach their goals.
Outside of academics, Lawrence has been competitively swimming for over a decade, earning multiple national level qualifying times and competed at the CIF state championships for high school swimming. Lawrence has also played the alto saxophone in his school band since fourth grade, developing his creativity, communication, and teamwork skills through music. Through his experience in tutoring, athletics, and music, Lawrence hopes to give back to his community and foster confidence and personal growth within his community.
Jasper Ding
(Vice President)
Jasper is a junior at Amador Valley High School. He loves reading and has been selected by the College Board as an SAT tutor. Jasper has been a competitive swimmer for nine years and has qualified for several high-level meets. He also enjoys robotics and exploring physics and computer science. As a part of SPEAK, Jasper hopes to make learning enjoyable and help younger students build confidence in reading, speaking, and expressing their ideas.
Carolyn Sun
(Secretary)
Carolyn Sun is a freshman at Amador Valley High School. For the last four years, she has been practicing and refining her Public Forum skills. She has been dancing for around 12 years and competing for four, and really enjoys it. Previously, she taught Chinese high schoolers and 2nd and 3rd graders.
Grace Li
(Officer)
Grace Li is a sophomore at Amador Valley High School. She has played the violin for about eight years, previously competed in dance and received numerous awards, and now plays tennis. Through these activities, she has developed discipline, creativity, teamwork, and confidence. Outside of school and extracurricular activities, she enjoys reading and spending time with friends.
Grace especially enjoys working with children and is passionate about helping them become more confident in reading, speaking, and expressing their ideas. She believes that a supportive and encouraging environment can help children feel more comfortable using their voices and communicating with others. She hopes to bring her enthusiasm, patience, and creativity to the speaking class and help create a fun, welcoming, and supportive experience for the children.
Darren Jiang
(Treasurer)
My name is Darren Jiang, I am a T.A. at S.P.E.A.K. A few of my hobbies are playing different sports as well as public speaking. I often go to different debate tournaments to compete with other high schoolers and middle schoolers. I enjoy learning new things from my teachers such as different math and science topics.
Albert Huang
(Officer)
Albert is currently a 9th grader at Dougherty Valley High School. He takes Spanish (2 years) and band (3 years) there where he plays the tenor saxophone. Outside of school, he takes swimming (6 years), debate (4 years), Kungfu (6 years), art (4 years), piano (6 years), and AMC 10 (3 years) classes. In his spare time, he likes to play sports, watch movies, and loves hang out with his friends the most. He hopes to make SPEAK a fun place where kids can enhance their reading and language skills while gaining confidence for public speaking. He will be one of your TAs at SPEAK.
Fred Zhang
(Officer)
Fred is currently a 8th grader at Pleasanton Middle School. His favorite subjects are Math, Reading, and History. He enjoys playing sports like Football, Volleyball, and Basketball. In his free time, he likes to exercise and hang out with friends. Fred began his teaching journey in 5th grade, where he has continued helping students thrive as a TA. By teaching younger students, he hopes to create a positive childhood experience for many so that they can become more successful in the future. He has also been debating for many years and truly wants to work with children to help them develop.
Alumni
Jinghan Li
(Former President)
Jinghan is a senior at Amador Valley High School who enjoys listening to music, practicing archery, and spending time with friends. She has practiced archery for four years and regularly competes in tournaments, where she has developed focus, discipline, and perseverance. She also played the violin for nine years and participated in Public Forum Debate for three years, gaining experience in public speaking, critical thinking, and expressing her ideas with confidence.
As a member of SPEAK, Jinghan hopes to help create a welcoming and supportive environment where students feel comfortable sharing their ideas and building their communication skills. She wants to encourage students to step outside their comfort zones, become more confident speakers, and discover their own unique voices. She looks forward to helping make SPEAK a fun and positive place for students to learn, connect, and grow together.
Andy Mei
(Former President)
Andy is a senior at Dougherty Valley High School and an active member of the school’s Speech and Debate team. He primarily competes in Public Forum Debate and has experience in other events, including Congress, Extemporaneous Speaking, and Policy Debate. Beyond debate, Andy serves as captain of the Dougherty Valley Varsity Golf Team and an Arts & Entertainment (A&E) editor for the school newspaper, the Wildcat Tribune. Through these experiences, he has developed strong communication, critical thinking, leadership, and teamwork skills.
Outside of school, Andy enjoys learning new languages, speaks four languages, and spending time with friends. With his experience in debate, public speaking, and journalism, he hopes to help students strengthen their speaking and writing skills, build confidence, and discover their own voices. He looks forward to creating a supportive environment where students can learn, express themselves, and grow as communicators.