VBI is a family. Every lab leader has something unique to teach you; every person in your lab is like a sibling who brings something special to your lab. VBI has given me the skills to succeed, but they are rooted within my VBI family.
— Allison Gorokhovsky

Our students and instructors often say that VBI is a family, which is true in many ways. Our small labs and mentor teams foster close friendships that many students maintain for years after attending VBI. And, because most of our instructors attended VBI as students, there is a strong sense at VBI of continuity, a common bond, between generations of debaters. 

The staff is exceptional, the students are great, and the experience is by far the best I’ve had at any other camp. Everyone is so friendly and wonderful, it really fosters a sense of community and family. We’re a family of debaters around the country, and VBI is at the center of it.
— Ethan Qi

We value this family environment both for its own sake and for its pedagogical benefits. Debate camp can be a stressful place: it is easy to be intimidated by the amazing debaters on staff and to regard other students as competitors. But VBI's family feel fosters trust between peers, and between students and instructors, because students knows that their peers and their teachers care about them. For that reason, students quickly become comfortable asking questions in lab, approaching national champions at Socrates Hours, and working with their peers towards the shared goal of getting better at debate. These benefits extend throughout the competitive season, as students learn from and support each other while competing at tournaments together. Seeing other members of the VBI family at tournaments makes students feel at home in competitive debate. That's one of the reasons why so many of our students return to VBI multiple times and are eager to return as instructors. 

Students who attend VBI join a family of over 6000 former students and staff, whose accolades and love for their institution are unparalleled. They have matriculated and excelled at every Ivy League university and have gone on to attend top graduate programs in law, business, political science, philosophy, and many other fields. They have won national and world debate championships, moot court competitions at top law schools, multiple Rhodes and Marshall Scholarships, and honors on Forbes magazine's "30 under 30" list. We could not be more proud of our family. 

VBI has allowed me to venture out in the debate world. I have met incredible friends, role models, and debaters I hope to keep in touch with for the rest of my life. I will miss the camp life so much, but I hope that I can experience this again. I did Public Forum and I absolutely loved it.
— Krishna Vaidyanathan
The thing about VBI that makes it different is the number of people who are there all the time who are willing to work with you as much as possible to get you better. I think that it is just incredible, and is better than any other working environment or debate coaching that I have seen.
— Ben Sprung-Keyser
National champion, world champion, and Harvard alumnus Ben Sprung-Keyser attended VBI as a student (both before and after winning Nationals) and as an instructor. Ben was VBI's second Rhodes Scholar. 

National champion, world champion, and Harvard alumnus Ben Sprung-Keyser attended VBI as a student (both before and after winning Nationals) and as an instructor. Ben was VBI's second Rhodes Scholar. 

Either despite or because of their goofiness, one of these VBI '02 students was named Forbes 30 Under 30 in Law and Policy. Two others won or coached winners of the Tournament of Champions before pursuing careers in law and venture capital. 

Either despite or because of their goofiness, one of these VBI '02 students was named Forbes 30 Under 30 in Law and Policy. Two others won or coached winners of the Tournament of Champions before pursuing careers in law and venture capital. 

One of my favorite memories was being able to see debaters in each generation of VBI students subsequently return and become great instructors at the camp . . . to see a former student take something she had learned at camp, improve upon it, and then teach the new-and-improved skill or concept to a younger generation of students. I loved seeing that process of innovation over the years.
— Neil Conrad
VBI prepared me to combat any type of argument that I might see in LD. The curriculum taught me how to dissect arguments down to their components and then to find flaws or criticisms to beat back the argument. This type of education improved my analytic skills and helped me succeed during my senior year of debate and beyond.
— Noah Star
VBI alumnus Noah Star won the Tournament of Champions and several other national titles. He is now a senior at Northwestern University and was, most recently, a Truman Scholarship finalist. 

VBI alumnus Noah Star won the Tournament of Champions and several other national titles. He is now a senior at Northwestern University and was, most recently, a Truman Scholarship finalist.