Naya AL AEDDIN

Activist, Care taker, Doctor, Event planner, Explorer, Idea generator, Project manager, Student

I’m Naya Al Aeddin, a medical student at the University of Aleppo. Alongside my studies, I’ve been creating and leading projects that bring people together—like MedHack Syria, the country’s first medical hackathon in partnership with MIT Hacking Medicine, and TEDx University of Aleppo, our university’s first TEDx event. I’m passionate about turning challenges into opportunities, whether it’s in healthcare, education, or community building. What drives me most is making knowledge accessible and creating spaces where young voices can be heard, trusted, and celebrated. My journey has been shaped by resilience—growing up where survival often came before dreams, I learned how to turn scarcity into creativity and setbacks into new beginnings. Through my work, I want to show that even in the hardest places, ideas can still spark change, healing, and hope.

Transforming challenges into opportunities for growth and innovation Bridging medicine with technology, education, and community empowerment Building platforms where young voices and ideas are heard, valued, and amplified Creating safe, inspiring spaces for dialogue, learning, and change Showcasing stories of resilience, survival, and reinvention from communities that are often overlooked Turning science and medicine into accessible, human-centered knowledge

Hope and resilience are not abstract ideals—they are practical tools that can transform individuals and entire communities. My idea is that even in environments shaped by conflict, scarcity, and instability, young people can become innovators and changemakers when given the platform and trust. By reimagining how we educate, connect, and support each other, we can shift from surviving to actively designing our future. This is not just about rebuilding—it’s about redesigning life with creativity, courage, and collaboration.

Medical education and innovation

For me, TED isn’t just about big ideas—it’s about giving a voice to people who don’t usually get heard. Growing up here, survival often came first, and dreams came second. But I learned that even in the hardest places, ideas still live. Organizing and being part of TEDx is my way of proving that we are still thinking, still creating, still imagining. My TED story is really about resilience. About taking the things that were supposed to break me, and turning them into lessons, projects, and platforms. It’s about building something meaningful even when resources are scarce. And it’s about showing others—especially young people like me—that no matter where you are, your voice and your ideas matter.

Creating structures out of chaos—turning vague ideas into concrete initiatives with clear outcomes Leading under pressure with calm, creativity, and persistence Visualizing projects in a global context, even while working within limited local resources