Aranveer Litt is a first-year communication and rhetorical studies (CRS) graduate student from Sanger, California. Prior to CRS, Litt began his undergraduate studies at Reedley College and studied communication studies; he then transferred to California State University, Fresno, to complete his degree in communications.
Throughout his entire life, Litt was extremely involved in debate, both in and outside of the classroom. Litt’s passion for debate was shown by his active participation in his institutions’ debate teams and the creative ways at which he viewed the (debate) prompts.
Litt’s interest surrounding debate is extended in his past experiences and his perception toward (communicative) topics. Throughout his career, Litt applied his knowledge of communication in a creative way by answering debate prompts differently from the other participants. Litt’s ability to creatively translate a prompt encouraged him to pursue the argumentative and literary structure of communicative artifacts.
“Throughout my career, I got heavily involved with incorporating my identity into my research as well as the debates that I participated in,” he says. “Taking the work that I have already researched about, applying it to an activity that is not critical to my work, and incorporating my identity in these spaces was very interesting. Although I did not win a lot, the goal was not to win; it was to change those spaces and the members who are immersed in those spaces.”
In addition, Litt will be a teaching assistant for CRS 325: Presentational Speaking. As a teaching assistant, Litt looks forward to interacting with his students, being immersed in their respective communities and serving as a catalyst for their passions. He hopes that with his involvement with debate he is able to convey the logistics of argumentation and how to develop a solid argument.
“It is quite an experience to be a part of the education system, not only from the student perspective, but to also be able to instruct and be able to understand how important academia is from both ends,” he says. “As a graduate student, I am more than confident I would obtain the necessary skills to be a [successful] teaching assistant—and potentially an instructor—to be there for my students. Although I am starting at the micro level with being a teaching assistant, I believe that dreaming big and setting goals for yourself are the only ways that you can navigate spaces that are in academia.”
Within his first semester at Syracuse University, Litt hopes to interact with all members of the CRS community and learn about how this program is applicable to all levels of education. Not only does he intend on being a form of academic support for his students, but he hopes to be a form of emotional support for his students, especially those who are a part of the Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) community. Litt hopes to pass on his knowledge of debate to others as well as absorb the knowledge that gets passed onto him.
“There is a lack of men of color who are instructors in academia, and therefore causes BIPOC students to not have the proper guidance and mentorship,” he says. “This unfortunately causes these students to drop out, and through my role as a teaching assistant, I hope that I could limit the amount of individuals who are a part of this achievement gap. As a graduate student, I know that I will be there for my students who feel left out and who come from groups that are a part of this achievement gap.”
–This article was written by the CRS student news team. Contact the team at .