Natalya Fiore

Educator/Teacher

I was raised in Houston, Texas; I’m a southern girl at heart. For my undergraduate, I attended my dream school, the University of Notre Dame and earned dual bachelor's degrees in English and Art. In college, I served as the editor-in-chief of The Dome yearbook where I fell in love with telling stories. My first job was teaching high school Journalism in Dallas, TX. Afterward, I pursued a painting career and started a portrait photography business. When I became pregnant with my son, I sought a more stable career with better hours. I decided to return to education. I received my Master's in Teaching from the University of Southern California and picked up English and Art credentials. I currently teach World Literature to sophomores and Sports Literature, a class I developed, for seniors, at Cathedral Catholic High School. I have written a children’s book and begun a non-fiction book I hope to one day publish.

I am passionate about making the world a better place, being a life-long learner, and creating beautiful things.

The education system needs to be reimagined, so that students are no longer trained to be employees, but rather supported in becoming problem-solvers, creators, and leaders.

I am a high school English teacher, so at first, TED Talks were a thought-provoking addition to novel studies; Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s “Danger of a Single Story” was played to complement Chinua Achebe’s “Things Fall Apart” for example. Then I began to teach students to develop their own TED Talks. I became obsessed. So did the students. To inform my teaching, I have read “TED Talks: The Official Guide to Public Speaking,” by visionary Chris Anderson, “Talk Like TED: The 9 Public Speaking Secrets of the World’s Top Minds,” by Carmine Gallo, and “How to Design TED Worthy Presentation Slides” by Akash Karia. This year will be my fifth year teaching students to write and deliver their own talks and will culminate with the first ever TEDxCathedralCatholicHS. I am thrilled to plan this event alongside my coworker Ryan Smith, and a team of 10 enthusiastic student organizers. Additionally, I will be attending the official 2023 TED: Possibility, where I cannot wait to meet passionate, driven, and inspiring individuals.