The Helmsmen Institute was born at a small table in the Concordia University Irvine cafeteria, where Denise Sprimont, Meghan Gleeson, David Vasquez and Josiah Popp made a commitment to serve the Stoa community. The Helmsmen Institute is an educational organization founded by alumni and guided by business professionals, educational specialists, and communication professors. We wish to bless Stoa competitors the same way we were blessed by Stoa. We are not a club, though we sponsor a club, Voyagers. Rather, we are a resource hub for Stoa competitors who are interested in growing in knowledge, virtue, and speech and debate skills. Our staff focuses on analyzing the needs of students and creating materials, routines, and so much more to turn shortcomings into strengths.

Through this curriculum, we strive to enhance skills that students already have and to encourage them in Christ. Always remembering our original goals and desires, we serve others to support families seeking success in speech and debate.

In speaking to competitors and parents, it has become apparent that there is a need for an affordable debate camp, and for affordable debate resources that will prepare students of all levels for competition. We seek to become positive and impactful leaders in the Stoa speech and debate community through our dedication to the lifelong benefits of education. The members of our staff are all successful Stoa alumni and coaches who are committed to giving back to the community that has supported, encouraged and taught them so much in the past decade. We firmly believe that if alumni are the Helmsmen of the Stoa community, students will benefit educationally and spiritually. We are ready to guide speech and debate competitors to victory.