Summer 2024 Schedules are now Live!
A long time ago…
We are not your typical academy. We are not your typical instructors.
People often ask us what our name means. “Nova” is a star at its brightest. “42” is co-founder Mike Kyle’s favorite number and the answer to the question, “What is the answer to life, the Universe and everything?”
Nova 42 is more than just an after-school speech and debate academy--it is an educational sanctuary building the leaders of tomorrow. Based in Pasadena, California and founded in April of 2012, Nova 42 has guided the communication and leadership skills of thousands of students who have gone on to make names for themselves in their schools, jobs and communities. From its unique status as a flexible purpose corporation dedicated to giving back to the community to its commitment to creating a life-changing learning environment, Nova 42 has sparked the intellectual curiosity and passion for public speaking in children and teens for over 10 years.
First, Nova 42's dedicated owners, Mike Kyle and Jung Park Kyle, bring their creative sensibilities and razor-sharp minds to building a fun, exciting place of learning that students call their second home.
Outwardly casual, Nova 42's owners nevertheless work hard behind-the-scenes, bringing their years of business acumen and real-world savvy to create one of the most well-respected speech and debate centers in the world. Having won hundreds of awards in speech and debate himself, CEO and Head Debate coach, Mike Kyle, brings over 30 years business and corporate experience, his Pacific Northwest congeniality, innovative entrepreneurship and award-winning speech and debate skills. COO and Head Speech coach, Jung Park Kyle, is a Harvard graduate with a concentration in English and American Literature and Languages, a licensed California attorney and professional actress, and brings to Nova 42 her expertise in performance arts, organizational skill-building and creativity. Together, they have also gathered a team of the most dedicated, caring and talented teachers and coaches on the circuit. Coaches Bryan Banuelos, Ted Kim, and Daniel Glasgow not only teach at the highest levels, they are genuinely caring human beings who love teaching and coaching and mentoring students.
Second, Nova 42 is different from other speech and debate academies because of its innovative curriculum.
The foundation of Nova 42's teaching is built upon its 4 core pillars of learning: (1) critical thinking; (2) presentation; (3) interpersonal communication; and (4) leadership. Upon these 4 pillars, Nova 42 creates learning objectives every semester for all of its students, whether in 2nd grade in our Little Novas program or 12th grade in our high school program. With these learning objectives in mind, Nova 42 creates dynamic, interactive lessons that allow students to gain a deeper understanding of their communication power and the world around them. While we cannot disclose those lessons due to confidentiality and protecting our work product, we are happy to discuss them with you over-the-phone or set up a tryout for your child to experience a class directly.
Third, Nova 42 has built an intertwined and complementary competition track designed to enhance and build upon the skills taught in classes.
Many academies only train students in tournament skills which leads to a superficial understanding of communication as well as a stressful focus on "winning at tournaments." At Nova 42, the focus is on communication skills for success in life. With this kind of focus, Nova 42 students become charismatic and thoughtful speakers who also tend to do well at tournaments. While we never prioritize trophies, we do celebrate the numerous wins of our students.
Simple as it sounds, we care. We find out what makes our students tick, we want to know more about them and we challenge them to grow and improve. We also expect them to show up and do their best. Nova 42 is not a babysitting center nor a place to learn communication skills passively. We expect our students to do their best and in return, they blossom and grow in a way that no other learning can provide.
Meet the owners
MIKE KYLE
JUNG E. PARK
JUNG E. PARK
Director of Debate / CEO / Academy Head of School
An accomplished public speaker for most of his life, Coach Mike began his competitive speaking career at the age of 12 when he was invited to attend a high school speaking competition on behalf of South Salem High School. Mike was awarded a debate scholarship to Arizona State University and
Director of Debate / CEO / Academy Head of School
An accomplished public speaker for most of his life, Coach Mike began his competitive speaking career at the age of 12 when he was invited to attend a high school speaking competition on behalf of South Salem High School. Mike was awarded a debate scholarship to Arizona State University and continued winning speech and debate tournaments in college. Graduating Magna Cum Laude from ASU with a B.S. in Engineering, Mike also became a notable and sought-after public speaker in the Printing and Marketing industry, speaking at industry events. Mike began realizing his dream of mentoring students in speech and debate in 2011. In a relatively short time, Mike and his students became a force to be reckoned with in the speech and debate world. Mike’s training has helped his students represent their own high schools and win top awards by using his unique method of research, critical thinking, character development and argumentation style. Mike and Nova 42 have been awarded the Select 100 top alumni award from Arizona State University 4 years in a row. Coach Mike loves what he does and truly cares about each and every student at Nova 42 Academy.
JUNG E. PARK
JUNG E. PARK
JUNG E. PARK
Director of Speech / COO
Jung graduated in 1992 from Harvard and Radcliffe Colleges cum laude, B.A. General Studies, with a concentration in English and American Literature and Language. During her time at Harvard, she was one of only a few undergraduates personally accepted into a graduate English course taught by the head of the Harvard
Director of Speech / COO
Jung graduated in 1992 from Harvard and Radcliffe Colleges cum laude, B.A. General Studies, with a concentration in English and American Literature and Language. During her time at Harvard, she was one of only a few undergraduates personally accepted into a graduate English course taught by the head of the Harvard English department. She was also among the select few consistently accepted into Harvard’s competitive creative writing courses. Jung also received her J.D. from UC Davis School of Law in 1996 and opened her own law office in 1998 in San Francisco. She won her first major trial, getting a six-figure judgment for her client. Because Jung has always had a love of teaching and helping high school students, Jung has also been tutoring students in SAT prep since her days in college (first as a Princeton Review tutor and later as a tutor at after school academies for Asian students). In recent years, Jung has also been helping students prepare for the college application process in her unique and powerful manner.
Meet the Instructors
TED KIM
BRYAN BANUELOS
BRYAN BANUELOS
PUBLIC FORUM DEBATE COACH
Math and Science Guru, Ted Kim is a utility player at Nova 42 Academy, mentoring and educating many of our student ends in Mathematics while at the same time coaching our Public Forum debaters with his outstanding academic approach to challenging debate resolutions. Ted is often described as simply Ted, because he
PUBLIC FORUM DEBATE COACH
Math and Science Guru, Ted Kim is a utility player at Nova 42 Academy, mentoring and educating many of our student ends in Mathematics while at the same time coaching our Public Forum debaters with his outstanding academic approach to challenging debate resolutions. Ted is often described as simply Ted, because he has such a unique and fun approach to teaching. Ted is constantly studying and researching Mathematic strategies and drills. He is focused on more than just Math, but also on the application of math to the real world. His approach to Public Forum allows students to both understand the process and skills required, but also on the content and context of the topic. Ted is a well respected tutor and coach that has parents and students alike raving about his ability and care!
BRYAN BANUELOS
BRYAN BANUELOS
BRYAN BANUELOS
SPEECH AND INDIVIDUAL EVENT COACH
DANNY GLASGOW
BRYAN BANUELOS
DANNY GLASGOW
SPEECH COACH & ELEMENTARY INSTRUCTOR
After losing his life in the blizzarding Ardennes forest of France during World War II, Danny Glasgow was reanimated and reprogrammed by O.S.S. for the sole purpose of molding young minds in the ways of forensics. If you're thinking to yourself that sounds like a bunch of bologna, congratulations–the t
SPEECH COACH & ELEMENTARY INSTRUCTOR
After losing his life in the blizzarding Ardennes forest of France during World War II, Danny Glasgow was reanimated and reprogrammed by O.S.S. for the sole purpose of molding young minds in the ways of forensics. If you're thinking to yourself that sounds like a bunch of bologna, congratulations–the truth is Danny just leads with his playful side and likes to see who's paying attention. All joking aside, Danny was first introduced to the world of speech & debate as a shy middle schooler. Throughout high school, he competed at the local, state, and national levels, focusing most of his attention on the oral interp side of the activity, where he began to grow a deep appreciation for literature. He graduated from the University of Texas in Arlington with a Bachelor's in English and later from Hollins University with an MFA in Film Studies. He's logged over 13 years as a teacher at public, private, and charter schools across the country, teaching speech and debate as well as writing, English language arts, and literary studies. Additionally he has written for studios such as RiverRock Films and periodicals such as Cinema of Change, where he was able to marry his passions for movies and literature. He is thrilled to be part of the Nova 42 crew and feels privileged to work with its students. Nothing makes him smile bigger than helping young speakers discover their voice and realize their dreams.