Dressed in a sharp, two-button black suit and red tie, his eyes glimmer with excitement as he rises to deliver his first speech of the debate on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. He clears his throat, then starts his speech, speaking at a slow and calm rate, while gradually increasing his volume and picking up the pace until he’s almost shouting. Yet through the duration of his entire speech, Chandan Aggarwal (12) does not lose his cool and collected composure even once. When his time for the speech is up, Chandan nods his head and sits down, readying himself to “flow” or take notes on his opponents’ speech.

Chandan joined Harker’s speech and debate team in sixth grade out of curiosity and thought he could just try it out. Since then, public forum has always been something that he could throw himself into because it allows him to study and examine rather obscure issues. He found that, at a closer glance, debate enabled him to explain these same matters and even debate them with his friends.

“For me, with debate, something so esoteric can become so interesting, and I’m [able] to well-verse myself in the matter, even though a couple days earlier I would have had no idea what it is. And I carry that into the conversations I have with my friends,” Chandan said. “I think just talking and words, themselves, are a means to a greater life. Because by using words, you can communicate ideas that are ironically ineffable.”

When he’s not debating at tournaments across the country, you can often find Chandan by the lunch tables outside, intensely conversing, and sometimes even parleying, with his close friends. But what he most enjoys about these lunchtime debates with his friends is that all of them are able to just relax and be their true selves.

“We tend to have some intense, but fun discussions where we talk about anything from the craziest but most [plausible] solutions to climate change to like fantasy basketball,” Chandan said. “Obviously, I enjoy that, but it’s also a way for us to let loose and truly be ourselves and engage in a conversation where there truly are no hard feelings and we can just have fun and yell at each other in an uncontrolled manner.”

One aspect that his friends have noticed is that in any discussion or situation, Chandan is always ready for anything that can materialize. Longtime friend Rakesh Nori (12) is one who recognizes this very quality in him.

“No matter the topic … Chandan always seems to have a fully-fledged argument ready at his disposable and he argues with such passion which makes it even more entertaining. It’s cool to see him get into that zone when he’s talking to us during our debates even if we’re joking,” Rakesh said.

Outside of debate tournaments and his high energy discussions with his friends, Chandan never hesitates when faced with decisions that require him to challenge himself. In fact, Chandan finds that only by challenging himself is he able to realize new hobbies and a work ethic that is founded on pushing himself to be better every day, rather than doing what he calls “taking the easy road.”

“Chandan always takes the extra step, if it’s in the classroom or just listening to his friends, he’s not afraid at all to … do more than what is necessary, especially with hanging out around his friends, he’s great at doing the small things that no one really plans for, like planning out the Caltrain times and memorizing the maps of where [they’re] going,” Jeffrey Yang (12), a friend of Chandan’s, said.

At the end of the day, Chandan strives to do that which is not just fun but also that which ultimately makes him happy. Through this, Chandan feels he can give everything and everybody his undivided effort and attention.

“I realized that finding fun in things is all I really want to do. I just try to find fun and be competitive in everything I do, because it really gives meaning to my life,” Chandan said. “Because if I involve myself in the things that I enjoy, instead of just going through the motions and doing things for the sake of doing them, by … investing myself in [things] emotionally, I can create a better output for myself and everyone around me.”

Close friend Naveen Mirapuri (12) also perceives this attitude in Chandan. As a fellow debater who spends countless hours with him, Naveen is a firsthand witness to Chandan’s significant investments in every activity that he partakes in.

“Chandan is really competitive and is always super excited about something. I’ve known him for a long time and we’ve spent hours together …  just hanging out during lunch or competing together at debate tournaments,” Naveen said. “He’s emotionally invested in everything he does and it shows through in every single one of them because you can see he takes joy in it all.”