An interview with one of our Managing Directors, Kajal Parmar, on her successes, future predictions, and advice.
Even before the start of her tenure as a managing director, Kajal Parmar was a vital and dedicated voice here at the Extemper’s Bible. Her presence has always been accompanied by fresh perspectives, complex insights, and an upbeat excitement around any new challenge. Kajal has also established herself as a force to be reckoned with on the circuit, as a 2x MBA invitee and finalist of several major invitationals from GMU to ETOC to Florida Blue Key.
How did you first get started with Speech and Debate? With Extemp?
In the ninth grade, I joined my school’s Intro to Speech class. I began with Declamation, then Impromptu, and even Duo-Interpretation. When I tried out Extemp, I loved how I could learn and speak about current affairs with limited preparation, and also argue my stances without it being in a debate format.
Favorite tournament and why?
Florida Blue Key! I loved going for runs on the campus multiple days in a row, the food was solid, I was able to spend time with my best friends, and performed really strongly.
What were some challenges you faced as a competitor or for your team?
My biggest challenge would be always putting pressure on myself to do better than I did last time at a particular tournament. Spoiler alert – that didn’t often happen. I’ve realized that self-comparison is extremely impactful on one’s success, and now, I try to go into tournaments I’ve competed at before with a much more fresh mindset.
What’s something about Eric’s extemping (our co-Managing Director) he wouldn’t tell us?
He’s a really slow prepper… and by slow I mean he splits 23/7. There’s a clear reason we work together because I do the same! He feels that if he spends more time understanding his arguments, he’ll have them memorized anyways. Given his success, it seems like that might be the strat.
What led you to pursue advocacy/activism in a speech and debate context through organizations like the Extemper’s Bible?
As a student with the privilege of a school team and multiple coaches, I felt very motivated to give back in any way I could. Writing articles for the Extemper’s Bible, and then spreading the word about the work of the Extemper’s Bible through social media and new partnerships with Urban Debate Leagues felt like the perfect opportunity to do so!
Any Bible Shoutouts?
Shoutout to Arkana for creating our new newsletter this year! She’s done a phenomenal job with a level of creativity I wish I had (and it’s not surprising, because she’s also an incredible artist).
Was there any advice you received early on that you feel shaped your career as an extemper?
Don’t be scared to try something new! Whether it’s a new way of approaching a question or a new type of conclusion to a point, definitely experiment with different things – even if you are initially hesitant about it.
Any advice you want to pay forward to any novices out there?
When giving practice extemp speeches, to prevent burn out, make sure you are genuinely enjoying the process. When at tournaments, take advantage of everything the tournament has to offer aside from the competition: walking around campus, the food, meeting new extempers, and for my favorite, the running trails.
Craziest Prep room memory?
NSDAs 2025 when the internet cut out and I couldn’t finish prepping my speech!
What is your Extemp hot take?
You don’t need to know a lot about the news, you just need to know how to understand the information quickly. I used to spend hours reading and catching up on current events all to draw completely unrelated questions. The background information is still critical, but I’d recommend spending more time practicing synthesizing articles than reading new ones.
If you could compete in any era/year of extemp, what would it be?
Definitely the era where competitors relied on files! I’m always up for new challenges, and I think it would be incredibly rewarding to prepare and give speeches that are based on even more limited resources.
What are your predictions for the future of Extemp?
Extemp will become even more of an outlet for both advocacy and change. The event will defy political trends towards censorship, and the solutions we propose in speeches are becoming even more possible to carry out – even by high schoolers.
As a senior, how do you feel Extemp has shaped what you want to go on to do/ your future trajectory, both for better or for worse?
I’ve always wanted to go into medicine, but Extemp exposed me to sides of the field I didn’t know a lot about before: local and global disparities in healthcare, health policy, healthcare amid challenging political climates, and more. After learning more about such topics through Extemp, I’m driven to address them through interdisciplinary research and sustainable humanitarian work.
How can students reading this get involved with our content team at the bible?
Apply to join our Content Team here! On this team, you’ll gain experience writing about everything from current events to extemp strategy, and working with a great team of extempers from around the country.