WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING…
“In our view, Vivien was a generational talent when she competed in Stoa. But we are equally impressed with her now as a coach. She has the right balance of insight, efficiency, compassion, integrity and Christ-like character. As a parent, you want a coach that is relatable and professional to you as an adult, not just to your children. Vivien is all of that. She helped our children succeed in Stoa while grounding them in her model of "Seek, Speak, Surrender", no matter the results. She is a champion in every way to our family.”
~ Chris Fukunaga, Stoa Parent and Pastor
“I had the pleasure of sitting in on Vivien’s debate and Mars Hill classes my senior year. Her careful instruction, helpful feedback, and practical approach to teaching were all extremely helpful to me. Her coaching helped me to fine-tune and tweak my skills, which turned good speeches into winning speeches. If you’re looking for ways to improve beyond the basics, I couldn’t give you a better recommendation than Vivien.”
~ Chloe Ross, Student
“Vivien has helped me so much during the past year! I was new to LD, but her explanations, help writing cases, and coming up with responses was super helpful. I didn't have a lot of time throughout the year to work on debate so meeting with her maximized the time I did spend. She always answered any questions I had and gave me tips that were extremely helpful. She was super easy to communicate with, and she was very kind when there were any scheduling conflicts that came up. She is an amazing coach and I highly recommend her!!
~ Hadassah Guntaka, Student
“It is a joy to recommend Vivien White, a Stoa alumni who graciously invested in my son Jonah as he prepared for the Mars Hill speech event this past season. Vivien’s mentorship was not only marked by wisdom, personal excellence, and skill but also by a Christlike spirit of encouragement and humility that has made a lasting impact. Vivien’s influence helped Jonah grow in both confidence and effectiveness as a communicator of truth. Through her guidance, he was able to craft a message that honored both the gospel and the audience, and he ultimately advanced to finals at Nationals. Vivien’s ability to coach with both excellence and spiritual insight is a rare gift. She models what it means to speak with grace and truth, and she encourages others to do the same. I am deeply grateful for her impact on my son and wholeheartedly recommend her for any coaching, leadership, or mentorship opportunity.”
~ Mishelle Almer, Stoa Parent
“Working with Vivien has been probably the most significant turning point in my development as a speaker and debater thus far. Her feedback is always thoughtful and precise—she doesn’t just critique, she helps me know exactly what I can do to fix my issues. Every speech I’ve prepared under her guidance has improved because she sees what others miss and knows how to bring out the best in her students. I’ll admit, there were times I was skeptical. Sometimes her advice went against my instincts, and I wasn’t sure it would work. But I followed her direction anyway—and every time, I was surprised. Even when a speech didn’t feel like my best, the audience responded more than ever before. That’s her gift: she teaches you not just how to speak well, but how to leave a lasting impact. She understands how to move people, not just impress them. Most importantly, Vivien models for me what it looks like to pursue excellence not just for temporary success, but also for long-term growth and the glory of the Lord. Through Vivien's guidance, I’ve grown in clarity, confidence, and conviction—not just as a speaker/debater, but as a person. I’m incredibly grateful for her influence, and I know I would not be the same communicator I am today without her.”
~ Constance Flynn, Student
“After meeting with Vivien this season I can’t recommend her enough! She focuses on exactly what you need and has expert insight based on her real experience and success. She helped with vision for my platforms and gave me key strategy tips for extemp. More than that, though, Vivien’s wisdom helped me thrive as a person and a competitor. From mindset and goal-making to outlines and impact tips, Vivien is an incredible mentor and coach.”
~ Reese Hinton, Student
“Vivien’s debate coaching has been excellent! I used her sessions for LD response generation and case construction. She constantly has great feedback and ideas. I would recommend her coaching no matter your current skill level.”
~ Shari Dunbar, Student
“Vivien's coaching is so amazing and has prepared me for each LD resolution and speech category. She has truly become one of my best friends and always makes sure our sessions are fun.”
~ Andie Kramer, Student
“Vivien has been a wonderful coach! I appreciate how encouraging she is and her feedback on my speeches have been invaluable. After each coaching session I'm left excited to work on Stoa and improve my speaking. I'm incredibly thankful for Vivien and through her I have learned what it truly means to seek, speak and surrender my results to the Lord.”
~ Darcy Fukunaga, Student
“Everything that Vivien has coached me on has grown me so much in my Stoa career. From commenting on our speaking styles and cards, to helping us craft responses to cases and everything in between, her feedback has left me invigorated and ready to hit that grind! Vivien being my coach really was a blessing from God, because while she grew my speaking skills tremendously, she also helped me to build the proper character- which truly is more important.”
~ Keene Fukunaga, Student
“Vivien was a great coach. While she was coaching me, Vivien showed her championship level expertise, by providing examples from her past speeches that have done exceptionally well, explaining why those concepts worked, and showing me how I should utilize them in my speeches"
~ Michael Hu, Student