Speech and debate are his bread and butter. Sophomore Nathan Tan has an impressive public speaking resume, one which has been developed further by his recent attendance at the Elite Global Leaders Conference.
Tan’s journey with the subject began when he joined the speech and debate program at Renner Middle School. Tan has honed his skills here at 10600 and developed a passion for environmentalism. He has pivoted from his initial focus on public forum to policy-based speech and paved a unique path for himself, from being a part of the Leaders Who Care series on YouTube to attending panels across the country.
“I’ve been doing speech and debate for about five years, and I think it has been incredibly rewarding,” Tan said. “Something I like about it is that every year there are new issues being debated. Last year I found myself fascinated by the Green New Deal, an environmental policy which also serves as a means of fiscal redistribution and guarantees jobs.”
What started as a growing interest in environmental issues through debates on these topics evolved into a true passion, and since then there’s been no turning back.
“There are a tons of resources out there in terms of learning about environmental science topics,” Tan said. “I’m currently self-studying for the AP environmental science exam for that specific purpose. ”
After receiving accolades for speaking at a conference in New York, Tan was invited to speak at the Elite Global Leaders conference in Vail, Colorado to discuss on the topic of climate action.
For many, the challenge of speaking at such an important event could be seen as daunting, especially since Tan was the only person under 25 in attendance. Tan embraced the challenge and felt that it would expand his perspectives.
“It was nice to see that people were interested in giving back to the community and that they cared about the environment,” Tan said. “I realized though that historically there hadn’t been much environmental education at all. Most of them didn’t really know too much about it.”
Instead of being discouraged by that lack of knowledge, Tan now has an even firmer conviction in his path. He believes it’s essential for future generations to be conscious of the world around them and how they impact it.
“I feel like right now almost everything we’re taught in schools paints the world as perfect and unaffected by humans,” Tan said. “In reality, humans are impacting life systems that have been working for millions of years.”
Tan believes that in order to combat the damage humankind has inflicted on the environment, it’s important to be environmentally aware from a young age. His goal is to cultivate an entire generation that is climate-consciousclimate conscious and capable of taking action.
