Ryan Rodriguez

Event planner, Foodie, Idea generator, Student

I'm a Georgia Tech freshman majoring in Industrial Engineering and minoring in Graphic Design. I eventually hope to work on subway systems (my favorites are the Hong Kong MTR and my hometown Washington, D.C. Metro). I'm an accomplished leader and organizer ― I have been organizing international events featuring high-profile figures (including a sitting head of state) from the age of 16 ― and I specialize in online event productions. In my leisure time, I enjoy camping, organizing gaming competitions, and épée fencing. Allez!

I'm passionate about leadership, presenting, and organization that can be combined to do great things. Where I live, a lot of students (and adults) dislike presenting because of stage fright or because they think they can't present. I want to remove that unspoken taboo on public speaking and show my peers that anyone can present if they put their mind to it. I'm also passionate about learning new ideas and concepts and sharing those ideas with others so they can put their own individual flair on things. And last but certainly not least, I'm passionate about ice cream flavors and well-made chocolate mousse, two of the greatest achievements of mankind!

Think pyramid scheme except with TEDxYouth events. Every organizer is encouraged to nominate 3-5 other people they think would serve as good organizers. If the nominees become an organizer, great! They continue on the cycle. But if the nominees don't want to become an organizer or don't have the time for it, they are encouraged to nominate 3-5 others who haven't already been nominated. Even if only a few new organizers are inspired, that's 3 more people helping to change their community for the better!

Creativity, Desserts, Fencing, Leadership

Coming soon!

Designing video games in PowerPoint! When I was much younger and my parents were wary of buying me animation software, I decided to try and see if there was any way I could animate in PowerPoint, even if it was just slide-by-slide animation. I discovered the animation pane tool, tinkered around with the features, and have created 10+ unique games since! I am also working on making a color-changing graphing calculator in Excel and a physics calculator in google sheets. I've made a hobby out of pushing the limits of basic programs and using them in creative and unintended ways. While there are a lot of barriers you have to work around, you can learn a lot about the program and alternative ways to solve problems.