Photo by Jennifer Ding
TEDx’s 2025 speakers
Ojas Mahale '27
REPORTER
The High School’s TEDx Chapter geared up for an inspiring event, bringing together a lineup of thought provoking speakers, sharing their ideas and experiences surrounding the theme of Breaking Barriers. This year's event was aimed at challenging stereotypes surrounding ideas such as multilingualism, OCD, and social perceptions of boredom.
The process of selecting speakers began with an open interest form. Candidates were asked to outline their idea, why they wanted to speak about it, and their intended influence on the audience. Those who advanced to the next phase of the application process were directly interviewed by event curators junior Angelina Zhang and senior Navya Nadkarni, who examined deeper into proposed topics and explained the process of creating the TED talk. This process includes writing an original speech, creating a slideshow, and memorizing the total five-to-ten minute presentation. After the interviews, the final selection of speakers were announced.
This year’s lineup included a unique line of students and teachers: Social Studies teacher Nick Deldotto, Director of Student Activities Patrick Crater, sophomore Tiffany He, senior Ben Budicak, sophomore Mia Nie, senior Chris Koncir, junior Advith Rajkumar, freshman Tessa Kelly, sophomore Clara Stancik, and sophomore Emily Field. Each speaker uniquely contributed to the theme of Breaking Barriers, addressing various overlooked issues in society.
The event was organized by the TEDx leadership team, including the event curators and support from mentors senior Sophie Kelly, senior Aliz Uejima, senior Megan Aversa, and junior Munachi (Muna) Ikeme. The team’s efforts were guided by faculty advisor Mrs. Matz, who played a crucial role in ensuring the event’s success.
One speaker, sophomore Emily Field spoke about the decline of bilingualism in America. She argued that many Americans are too comfortable with English and are unwilling to learn new languages, leading to a decline in linguistic diversity. She provided statistics on the decreasing number of public school students studying foreign languages and showed how this trend reflects a broader topic. Field described the process as both rewarding and challenging; however, she claimed that the hardest part was the memorization of her nine minute long speech.
The audience played an important role by showing enthusiasm. They laughed, cheered, and engaged in thoughtful reflection. After the speeches, speakers and attendees gathered in the auditorium lobby, exchanging congratulations and personal notes of appreciation. Mini bags labeled with each speaker’s name allowed attendees to leave encouraging messages, creating a supportive environment.
The UHS TEDx event was an overall success, and with each speaker breaking barriers in their own way, the event left a lasting impact on both audience and participants. The recorded speeches will be posted on the official TED Talks website, continuing the tradition of amplifying student voices.
