SunHee Simon is a second year teacher at Coppell High School, teaching both debate and world history. Through her efforts and perspective, the Coppell debate program has been able to incorporate diversity into its curriculum and practices. 

Graduating from Stanford in 2019 with a minor in African American studies, Simon came to the school district at the start of the 2020-21 school year. Her career started with virtual instruction due to the pandemic, and instead of treating it as an obstacle, Simon took it as an opportunity to create relationships to build on later. 

“I met a lot of the debate students last year through zoom,” Simon said. “It’s been a learning experience that’s been very rewarding.” 

Within two years, Simon has been able to collaborate with the other debate coaches and team to integrate studies of many minorities and experiences. 

Using her experience in the BCG Henderson Institute, a company founded on business theory and philosophy, Simon was able to enhance ideas from her career to set up fundamental foundations in the education of diversity. 

Victory Briefs launched an Equity Day during its 2021 summer camps, the first major diversity and inclusion program to be used in the school’s history. The day consisted of education of relevant diverse topics to expose the students to important vocabulary and concepts. 

“I want to be a role model who shows that things are possible,” Simon said. “But I want to be a role model who shows that anyone can gain access to this and I will take it as a personal responsibility to make sure [people] have access to it.”

“I wanted students to be knowledgeable about the structures that affect people’s access to debate,” Simon said. “That way, students were [able to think] about what they can do during the year to make people feel more accepted within the community.”

Coming into the school year, Simon and Dr. Jason Sykes were able to divide the debate team into two debate courses that run parallel to each other. 

“There are 15 different competitive events that we offer as a program,” Sykes said. “She, for all intents and purposes, runs [the Lincoln–Douglas and World Schools] divisions.”

Simon is more than qualified for her position of head of these events. Lincoln–Douglas debate was Simon’s primary event in high school. Through hard work and skill, Simon qualified for the Tournament of Champions, the official national high school speech and debate tournament. 

“From her experiences with that and her work with students, we’ve had students qualify for state and international level tournaments,” Sykes said. “We have had students who have earned bids to the Tournament of Champions, something that hasn’t happened at Coppell.” 

The reason why Simon became a debate teacher was to interact with students in a more hands-on way.

“I was still deciding between consulting and teaching,” Simon said. “I would have  missed teaching students too much and working with them.”

Teaching and coaching debates are stepping stones to Simon’s ultimate goal: to open a school in Cameroon. 

“I want to create a private school in Cameroon,” Simon said. “That’s where my family’s from.”

Her aspiration to help people and improve the education system in Central Africa stems from the women in her life.

“I’m not very surprised that I’m here,” Simon said. “It’s just a part of our family tree as much as any of us are.”

Simon’s dedication to learn and develop as a mentor has had a positive impact on the Coppell debate team. 

“Having someone with her talent who’s able to dedicate time to those events really makes a difference,” Syke’s said. “There has been a sheer growth in numbers of students who get to benefit from a higher level of rigor and accountability.”

Coming into the teaching world in the year of the pandemic has caused Simon to develop many much needed skills for being a coach and teacher. 

“Having her adaptable really allows us to be more successful,” senior Dawson Marold said. “We can pretty much ask her about anything and she’s able to give us the answer or ask the right questions.”

Simon’s identity has shaped how she has been able to contribute to the high school. Her  interest in people’s experiences and her own makes her a crucial part of the program. 

“The biggest way that African American studies and sociology have helped me is that they require a lot of analysis and understanding connections between multiple things,” Simon said. “When you understand that everyone is a part of a bigger puzzle, it’s a lot easier for you to navigate different arguments.”

Simon’s value for equity goes beyond surface level. 

Her ability to fully understand the concepts taught and maintain a high caliber team has made her increase the quality of the work put in.

“[Simon] is not only really competent, she raises the level of those who work around her,” Sykes said. “We know that she sets the bar really high for everyone.” 

Simon has been able to click with the members of the debate team and students in her courses in a small amount of time. 

“Simon has become one of my favorite teachers because she’s always there for us,” Marold said. “She has a very good balance of being a teacher but also being a supporter for us.”

Many of Simon’s decisions and aspirations link back to who she is and where she has come from. In honoring her ancestral roots, she has been able to push for not just equality, but equity for the people she interacts with. A role model to many, Simon continues to make wherever she is the best it can be.

Follow Maya (@mvpalovalley) and @CHSCampusNews on Twitter.