New SHS club to host first TedxShaker event

TED Talks have taken the world by storm over the past few years, with the often viral speeches talking about a variety of issues. Enter the TEDxShaker club, which will be holding its first ever event this coming Friday, April 5th. Twelve SHS students will take the stage to discuss topics from the language of teenagers to revenge to to working with children to feminism to human trafficking.

The club got its start from one of the organizers, Hannah Wang, seeing another TED Talk on Asian American struggles. “I really connected with that TED Talk,” said Hannah. “I found TEDx, read about how to set it up, and found a TEDx event for student speakers.” That’s when she texted another of the event’s organizers, Kayla Na, to see if she wanted to help. She did.

The “x” in TEDx means it is an independently organized event from the TED Conference.

“TED Talks can range from personal stories to things people are passionate about,” said Kayla. “Finding topics and something you were interested in was a little difficult at first. But we wanted a way to give students a voice they normally wouldn’t have.”

The twelve student speakers were drawn from more than 20 applications. Each speaker will talk for eight to ten minutes on their topic, and the TEDx event will also include an opening presentation, sponsors, and speaker biographies for each student.

Being the first year for the club, there were some logistical challenges for the group that needed to be worked out. Planning rehearsals for everyone was a big challenge, as giving group feedback to speeches was a big part of helping everyone improve. Another issue was fundraising for the event, and figuring out how and where to host it.

About 100 people are expected to attend the event on Friday, April 5, which runs from 5:30 – 8:30 p.m. in the Shaker High School Auditorium. You can visit the clubs website for more information. You can also check out their Instagram page for more on the speakers and their topics.

Topics and Presenters

• “On Finding Magic” – Marie Miller
• “Not Only Are We Tomorrow, We Are Today” – Zairah Ahmed
• “Untold Stories” – Sabrina Salam
• “Is Revenge Justified?”- Elizabeth Bernardini
• “The Mutual Benefits of Working with Children” – Hannah Wang
• “Fourth Wave Feminism: How did we get here and what do we do now?” – Makayla Barnes
• “Embracing Change” – Maryam Ahmad
• “How High The Moon: Incorporating the jazz dynamic into classical music theory”- Aarya Kaushik
• “The Angsty Language of Teenagers”- Kayla Na
• “Building Bridges: One Story at a Time” – Varun Mondaiyka
• “The Price of a Victim; How human trafficking tears apart the Innocent.”- Ivy Miah
• “Writing in Straight Lines “ – Hannah Thukral

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