Ananth Veluvali competed for Edina High School in Edina, Minnesota. He was the 2021 NCFL National Champion and, in 2022, was the runner-up at the MBA Round Robin, Extemp Tournament of Champions, and NCFL Nationals; he is also a two-time NSDA National Finalist, finishing in 3rd place this past year. This fall, Ananth plans on attending Stanford University, where he intends on studying computer science and economics.

Ananth agreed to an interview with Extemp Central to discuss the biggest lessons he learned while competing in extemporaneous speaking, while also providing advice for how future competitors can achieve his level of success.