Calgary high school student heading to world debate and public speaking competition in UK

Calgary high school student to travel to United Kingdom to compete in World Individual Debating and Public Speaking Championships

Calgary high school student Sania Grewal has a few things to say to the world -- and the world will be listening.

Grewal, a grade 12 student at Westmount Charter School, Mid High campus, is getting ready to stand in front of an international audience at the 2026 World Individual Debating and Public Speaking Championships in Bristol, UK.

She’ll compete in four categories; persuasive speaking, interpretive reading, debate and impromptu speaking.

Grewal is one of 18 students representing Canada at the event.

“It’s equal parts excitement and nerves,” she said. “I love doing speech so I’m really excited to be there, but I also know that I think every time you compete, there is at least a little bit of pressure -- so I’m trying to just relax.”

Qualifying

Grewal says to get to worlds, she had to earn a Top 10 finish at the Alberta National Qualifying Tournament. After that, the nationals are hosted in Winnipeg annually every February where she had to finish in the top six.

This is the second year in a row she’s qualified for the international event. In 2025, she finished first in both impromptu speaking and interpretive reading, earning fifth place overall in the competition with more than 130 students.

“It was amazing,” she said. “It was hosted in Malaysia and it was my first time being there so it was a really brilliant experience. I got to meet people from so many different countries and I mean, getting the awards was also really great but I think what I valued most was that opportunity to talk to so many different people, (and) listen to so many diverse ideas.”

Grewal always loved books and writing but was shy growing up, so in grade eight she signed up for the speech club at Westmount school.

At her first competition, she remembers finishing second out of three students but it had an impact on her and she fell in love with it.

“I think the younger you start, the quicker you become accustomed to it,” she said. “I think the fear doesn’t always go away, you just learn to cope with it sometimes but I think that anyone at any age can start.

“It usually just takes the first time,” she adds, “and once you overcome that initial barrier, it gets easier every time you do it.”

Speech coach

Grewal credits her speech coach Jaclyn Roulston with helping her nurture that passion and Roulston is proud of what she’s accomplished in five years.

“She fell in love with it and so oftentimes kids will kind of stick to one or two categories (out of seven) and they kind of ride that train,” said Roulston. “Whereas Sania was like, I want to try it all, I want to experience a bunch of different categories, I want to debate, I want to do impromptu, I’m going to do persuasive, I want to do interpretive and so I was like, let’s do it and so we practiced and trained and we honed the craft within those particular categories.”

Grewal said she does enjoy one category more than the others.

“My absolute favorite one is impromptu speaking,” she said. “You’re given a slip of paper with three topics on it and you’re given two minutes to prepare and then five minutes to deliver a speech (with) no notes.”

Graeme Finlay, Westmount Charter School’s principal, said staff and students will be cheering Grewal on and he’s making sure the big screen television in the school’s learning lab will be tuned into the competition for everyone to watch when they’re not in class.

“This is a very proud moment for me,” he said. “She’s worked so hard, she’s such an amazing individual, not just a student but actually a person so it’s nice to see someone who’s pursuing their passion, who has this sincerity and then get the recognition that she deserves and then pursue it at the higher level.”

There are 60 students signed up for the speech club at the school where Grewal is also a mentor. The competition begins April 11th and runs through to the 17th.

Learn more about it here.