Photo provided by Sohan Vittalam Troy High students place in global debate competition finalists rounds Advertisement TROY — It may be their first time ever debating as a team against others in a competition, but Troy High School seniors Sohan Vittalam and Om Shah, and junior Niheera Aedla have earned their place in the elite eight finalists rounds of the International Public Policy Forum, a global debate contest sponsored by the Brewer Foundation and New York University. The trio, who created the debate team themselves in 2020 out of a little boredom and some curiosity, has had to make it through a qualifying round of more than 100 teams, as well as knock out three teams in a bracket of 64 global contenders to secure their elite eight spot. They’ll have to beat three more teams to become the contest’s world champions and win the $10,000 grand prize.