Georgetown Congressional Debate Camp

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Dates

July 12 – July 24, 2026

Tuition

$3,000.00 Per Resident. Financial aid is available for those
with demonstrated financial need.

Details

Congressional Debate is a student debate activity which simulates the decision-making process of the U.S. Congress. The topics debated are drawn from current, real-world issues and controversies.  And, what better place to study Congressional Debating than in the nation’s capital.  We will have some activities that include interactions with the capitol and legislative staff.  We will teach students the skills and attitudes they need to compete in Congressional Debate in an innovative, engaging, and safe atmosphere. Our focus is not limited to preparation for the next tournament but includes fostering students’ growth and improvement. Our instructors are a mix of successful and experienced high school teachers and coaches as well as recent graduates who successfully competed in Congressional Debate.  Students attending the program will leave with better public speaking and research skills. 

This program is appropriate for students with all levels of experience. Instruction levels will be tailored to individual experience levels.

Faculty

Makai Henry

Nova High School

Makai Henry is the Congressional Debate coach for Nova High School in Davie, Florida, and a graduate of the program one of the most successful in the history of the event, with more Tournament of Champions titles in Congressional Debate than any other school and more Harvard National Congress varsity champions than any other program. He previously served as the Congressional Debate coach at Walt Whitman High School in Bethesda, Maryland, where he coached a two-time Maryland district champion and led the school to a district sweepstakes title in Congressional Debate. He has also worked extensively as a private coach.

Over the last three seasons, his students have earned more than 50 bids to the Tournament of Champions in Congressional Debate, including the 2026 NSDA National Champion in Senate, the 2026 NCFL National Champion, the 2025 Florida Blue Key Champion, multiple finalists and semifinalists at major national tournaments, and the inaugural Harvard JV champion, runner-up, and Leadership Bowl recipient in Congressional Debate. His students have advanced into elimination rounds at UF–Blue Key, Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Stanford, Sunvite, GMU, Durham, Florida State, Florida Novice State, Florida Middle School State, and UPenn.

A decorated competitor in his own right, Henry qualified twice to the Tournament of Champions, reached the finals of the Florida State Tournament, Florida Blue Key, and the Cypress Bay tradition, graduated as one of the top 10 congressional debaters in Florida. His academic background is in International Relations and Chinese Area Studies, with a concentration in national security studies.

His coaching emphasizes legislative analysis, contextual knowledge, and identifying the central question at the heart of a debate so students can make the round turn on what matters most. Emphasizing a blade-sharpens-blade approach, he believes the best competition forges the best debaters. But above all, he challenges students to meet a simple standard: Will your judge remember you tomorrow?

Jacqueline Correa

Georgetown University Debater

Jacqueline is currently a policy debater at Georgetown, but she previously did Congressional Debate for five years. She is the 2025 Florida State Congressional Champion, and has placed in the top 6 of several national final rounds including Yale, Emory, Blue Key, and Sunvite. She has reached semi-finals at NSDA Nationals three years in a row, and is ranked top 40 in the country for Congressional Debate. She earned her NSDA Academic All American her senior year and has accumulated 13 TOC bids over her Congressional Debate career. Jacqueline has a passion for debate and is incredibly excited to be instructing at the Georgetown Camp this summer!