Denzel Washington might be the glamorous version of how a debate coach could be, but Chris Medina (current coach of the famous program in the movie) is the modern day Melvin B. Tolson & has helped the "debate program [win] more than 50 national championships, even though the 1,300-student college competes against much larger institutions. Medina’s students are shaped more by adversity than privilege, but debate has boosted their self-confidence and self-perceptions, igniting new ambitions and intellectual passions."