Breaking Barriers: Anna Steed’s Journey to a Championship, More Inclusive Speech & Debate Community

Name: Anna Steed
Role: Speech & Debate Coach, Rocky Mountain Prep RISE
Hometown: Denver, CO
Education: Mitchell Montessori, Cole/Denver School of the Arts, East High School, Wesleyan University, University of Maryland
Years Coaching: 10+
Fact: First Black female coach to lead a Colorado Speech and Debate team to a state title.

Breaking Barriers with Her Voice: Anna Steed’s Journey to a Championship and a More Inclusive Colorado Speech and Debate Community

— This past March, Anna Steed made history as the first Black female head coach to win a Colorado state team title in Speech and Debate. But for Steed, the victory was more than a trophy—it was a milestone in a decades-long journey of advocacy, equity, and empowerment for students of color in one of the nation’s most competitive extracurricular arenas.

“It feels awesome… it feels fantastic… it’s something I always wanted to do,” says Steed, recalling the moment she realized the significance of her win. “I go to competition after competition across the state, and I only know of two other Black coaches. We have some of the best speech and debate programs in the country here in Colorado—Cherry Creek, George Washington, Denver East… but when you look at the state championship photos, they rarely look like ours.”

“Speech and debate is a nerd, a jock, and a theater kid all in one.” — Anna Steed
 

Steed’s team at Rocky Mountain Prep RISE has become a fixture in Colorado Speech and Debate. The school’s program, which began nearly a decade ago, continues to thrive even after the school underwent a merger and name change. Thanks to consistent leadership and commitment, the speech and debate program at RISE has become a cultural anchor in far northeast Denver.

“If you’re a student who graduated from STRIVE Prep in 2020, the building and school name may have changed,” Steed admitted. “But what stayed the same was speech and debate.”

The RISE team, composed overwhelmingly of students of color, has encountered its share of obstacles.

“The first couple of years were painful,” Steed shared. “Watching students experience discrimination is not fun. And the hardest part is, you can’t always be there to protect them. One of my students performed a piece about being undocumented. She was flying high after her round, and then someone asked her, ‘Are you illegal?’ Her whole day changed.”

Those moments are why Steed and fellow coaches like Grant Thomas at Denver East – who also won a state title this past year – have worked tirelessly to increase representation.

“We show up to every tournament with 20 to 25 students,” Steed said. “When we both attend, that’s 50 students of color in the building. That presence matters. It helps normalize diversity in a space that hasn’t always reflected it.”

Steed emphasizes the need for more diverse judges, noting that most speech and debate events rely heavily on white parent volunteers. While their support is vital, Steed argues that more inclusive judging can foster a more equitable environment.

“If we can get more alumni, college students, and parents from our communities involved, it changes the entire competition experience,” she said.

Representation is also built through collaboration. Steed and Thomas co-hosted one of the only speech-only tournaments in the metro area—the Showdown—which ran for years.

“It was small but mighty,” Steed reminisced. “Some years it was mostly our teams. But that gave our kids confidence. It allowed them to experience a tournament tailored toward them.”

Despite systemic challenges, RISE has achieved groundbreaking success. In 2024, two Black female students, Jasmine Okine and Eden Ansebo, became the first all-Black female Public Forum debate team to advance to “out rounds” at the state tournament. Both have gone on to prestigious universities- American University and Tufts University, respectively; a testament to the program’s effectiveness.

Steed’s impact is rooted in her own experiences. A graduate of Denver East High School, she stumbled into speech class as a teenager.

“My first tournament was a disaster. I cried and ran out of the room, but I was hooked,” she remembered. “The adrenaline, the challenge, the platform—I loved it.”

That love has shaped a career dedicated to expanding access. Alongside her wife, Elisha Roberts – the founding principal of the former STRIVE Prep-RISE and founder of the 5280 Opportunity Project, which provides students across Colorado with opportunities to participate in extracurricular activities – Steed has built a program where students are seen, heard, and celebrated.

“We’re both committed to Black and Brown kids having access to life-changing experiences,” Steed shared. “Speech and debate is one of those.”

Steed is quick to credit her support system: assistant coaches Mike Suomi and Jeff Haynes, current Rocky Mountain Prep RISE Principal Wanueta Vann, former CEO of STRIVE Prep Chris Gibbons (who greenlit the middle school speech program), and athletic director Aaron Osterbeal.

“They treated us like we were the star football team,” she recalls. “And that mattered.”

Her compass is justice.

“If my students don’t have the same chances I did, then justice hasn’t been served,” said said. My job isn’t done.”

“In speech and debate, you find the best version of yourself. And once you do, you carry that with you for life.” — Anna Steed

When asked about the future of speech and debate in Colorado, Steed is clear:

“This is the place for voice, for access, and for opportunity. But we need more of it. Every school that has a football or baseball team should have a speech and debate team. This activity provides cultural currency and builds identity. It’s student development in its purest form.”

To diversify teams, Steed encourages coaches to meet students where they are. Blast music in the hallway. Show up in the lunchroom. Incentivize participation.

“One of our founding members only joined because I gave automatic A’s for attending a tournament,” Steed remembers. “He went on to Swarthmore with a Questbridge Full Ride Scholarship. He would’ve never joined otherwise.

“Make your classroom a curious space. Rap in the hallway. Play the barbecue song. Kids need to know this is a place for them.”

For Steed, speech and debate is a tool for student transformation.

“You go from holding court in the hallway to holding court in a cafeteria three hours away,” she said. “That’s life-changing.”

Anna Steed’s championship is more than a first. It’s a roadmap for what Colorado speech and debate can become: diverse, inclusive, and undeniably more powerful.