Recent ASHS graduate Leah Joy Rivera gains international recognition as debate adjudicator

Recent Ateneo de Manila Senior High School (ASHS) graduate Leah Joy Rivera (12-Beyzym Class of 2025) is making waves in the international debate circuit as a young yet highly accomplished adjudicator. With 13 breaks in both national and international tournaments, Rivera has already established a formidable reputation in the global debate community.

She holds multiple accolades, including being named Overall Best Judge twice, 2nd Best Judge four times, Invited Adjudicator on four occasions, Subsidized Adjudicator twice, and 5th Best Judge once.

Rivera recently broke as an adjudicator in two major tournaments in 2025. The first was the Philippine Intercollegiate Debating Championship (PIDC), the country's premier national college debate competition in the Asian Parliamentary format. Held onsite at the University of the Philippines Diliman from 13 to 16 June 2025, Rivera made history as the only recent high school graduate to break at the national level. She went on to judge both the National Open Quarterfinals and the Sinag Grand Finals.

Just two weeks later, Rivera achieved another milestone at Uhuru Worlds 2025, the world’s largest debate tournament. The event attracted over 1,000 debaters and 300 adjudicators from across the globe, with only 43 adjudicators making it to the outrounds. Rivera was one of only two Filipino judges to reach this stage. She served as a panelist in the Open Quarterfinals, further solidifying her position as a rising star in adjudication. The tournament was held online from 27-29 June 2025.

In addition to her major 2025 successes, Rivera has earned acclaim at several other tournaments across Asia and Africa over the past year. In September 2024, she was named Overall Best Judge at the Eco Debate InterVarsity, an Africa-based British Parliamentary competition. She chaired the Open Semifinals and served as a panelist in the Open Grand Finals. Just a week later, at the Mashariki Debate Open—another Africa-based BP tournament featuring competitors from Africa and Asia—she chaired the Open Quarterfinals, judged the Semifinals and Grand Finals, and was recognized as the 5th Best Judge.

Rivera continued her strong run at the Lantugi Novice Cup in September 2024, where she chaired the Open Octofinals. In November, she broke at the highly competitive Eristic BP Debate, where she judged the Novice Semifinals as a subsidized adjudicator. That same month, she served as chair for both the Open Semifinals and Grand Finals at Intertext Novice BP, finishing as the 2nd Best Judge of the tournament.

Later in November, Rivera was an Invited Adjudicator at the Shanghai Novice Debate Open, where she judged the Open Octofinals, High School Semifinals, and chaired the High School Finals. She also served as an Invited Adjudicator at UT MARA Intervarsity in Malaysia, where she judged the Novice Grand Finals and earned the Overall Best Judge award.

Rivera’s judging excellence continued through the end of 2024 and into 2025. At the Xavier School Debate Championship (XSDC) held onsite at Xavier School San Juan from 30 November to 1 December 2024,  she judged the Am-Am Semifinals and received the 2nd Best Judge award. At the Diliman Intervarsity, a prep tournament for the World Universities Debating Championship held on 7-8 December 2024, she judged the Open Pre-Semifinals as an Invited Adjudicator.

From 8-9 February 2025, Rivera stood out at Serious Intervarsity, a pre-Worlds tournament known for its high adjudication standards. She judged the Novice Semifinals, chaired the Open Semifinals, and served as a panelist in the Open Grand Finals, once again earning 2nd Best Judge. Most recently, she broke at BITS Pilani Parliamentary Debate in April 2025, where she judged the Novice Grand Finals and finished as the 2nd Best Judge after competing as a subsidized adjudicator.

Leah Joy Rivera’s meteoric rise through the adjudication ranks is a testament to her keen analytical skills, dedication to debate, and exceptional performance under pressure. Her growing list of accomplishments across continents underscores a bright future ahead in the world of competitive debating.