A seventh grader tags along with a group of high schoolers, shy, nervous and unsure of how to approach conversation with them or how to ask a question out of fear of looking inexperienced. Ansh Sheth (12) can empathize, remembering his first debate tournaments as a clueless middle school student himself. Now, as the captain of the debate team, he mentors the kids who experience what he did all those years ago.

“I can understand some of their concerns,” Ansh said. “I am a figure that they can confide in, instead of having to be nervous. I value that, and I appreciate that they can do that.”

Initially an elective that he arbitrarily took in 6th grade, debate grew to become something that Ansh stuck with throughout middle and high school, with each experience and competition motivating him to learn more. He primarily debates in Lincoln-Douglas or Public Forum formats, but the flexibility and versatility has kept it fresh and interesting.

“With most other activities, you’re kind of forced into this one box of what you learn about,” Ansh  said. “But with debate, you are forced to look at a wide variety of topics. You have to like to look at both sides of every equation. I love that sense of open-mindedness and being open to new perspectives, which I feel like I’ve carried on to a lot of the other things I do.”

This consideration of different perspectives absolutely appears in Ansh’s role as Oeconomia’s co-president, which he joined after taking AP Economics in sophomore year. As the economics club, Oeconomia publishes Equilibrium, a journal of student-written articles, which Ansh sees as a  unique initiative to bring different economic perspectives to the greater Harker community.

“You see that economics has been used primarily by the corporate elites who get to pursue profit at the expense of underprivileged populations,” Ansh said. “So one of the things I’m really interested in, related to econ and public policy, is using economic concepts for the benefit of society through things like inequality reduction, as well as research into why those inequalities exist.”

Topics like economics and government, with their focus on justice and policy, closely relate to Ansh’s passion for debate, and he often chooses to tackle these sorts of arguments. Debate teacher Greg Achten, who taught Ansh since middle school, has watched him grow to become an integral part of the team culture, and also an able debater.

“He is one of our debaters who is capable of going for a wide variety of arguments,” Achten said. “There are all sorts of different kinds of arguments: theoretical arguments, arguments about postmodern philosophy, but also arguments about public policy. He is amongst the most capable students that I have ever coached in terms of being able to go for a wide variety of arguments.”

This competitive side of debate, developing arguments with teammates and competing for long hours at tournaments, is not everything. For Ansh, the larger community of debaters and the little spontaneous moments that arise between him and his teammates also contribute to his love for debate.

When Panav Gogte (12) first met Ansh through debate in sixth grade, he was initially intimidated by his serious attitude and extensive knowledge of debate. But after getting to know him and competing in tournaments together, Panav sees a more light-hearted side of Ansh.

“Ansh is super easy to get along with,” Panav said. “he makes conversations flow really easily, and he makes you feel extremely comfortable. He does that very uniquely, and he has a very light and bubbly personality. It’s really fun spending time with him.”

Arjun Gurjar (12) also agrees with this assessment of Ansh. Another longtime friend of Ansh’s, Arjun first met him in middle school, where his hyper energy shone through. Now, as seniors, that same energy persists as Ansh grew more comfortable with expressing himself.

“He’s very unashamed of who he is,” Arjun said. “He’s very much himself no matter what setting he’s in. He’s very comfortable with himself and very confident with himself.”