elaine han

Educator/Teacher

I am teaching marketing at BHI for 2 years, and also an instructor for in-school debates and graduation theses, and have been helping students find their passion both in academics and in life. I completed my undergraduate studies at Boston University, majoring in advertising, and went to King’s College London for my master’s degree in Arts and Culture Management. I used to have presentations and debates for many courses in college, where I found the power and charm of public speaking. Public speaking is not only a one-way self-expression, but more of a mutual exchange of inspiration and communication with the people around you. It is a must-have skill in society, and I really hope to encourage more young people to step on stage, speak up with confidence, and share their own stories. The moment I saw "Ideas Worth Spreading", I felt connected to TED and its core values, and I have been following TED and TEDx talks ever since, when I needed inspiration for my teachings or life. These days, I am enthusiastic about organizing a TEDxBHI Youth event, aiming to create a chance where people in the community engage in meaningful exchanges of ideas and a momentum that pushes forward the creativity and vitality of the community.

I am passionate about public speaking, organizing events, and searching for universal principles behind things that happen every day. For me, public speaking is more of the process of mutually exchanging inspirations with the audience, instead of merely a one-way self-expression of thoughts in mind. The power of public speaking lies in its potential to influence minds and foster connections between people. I have conducted many in-school debates and speeches for students. I enjoyed every single process from planning and organizing guests to operating and moderating. These experiences not only trained my event planning skills but also taught me the ability to build emotional connections through public expression. I also enjoy organizing informal gatherings where people share their observations, inquiries, and thoughts on various topics. Creative ideas sometimes came up when people kept asking "why" behind things that happen every day, and tried to figure out patterns or common principles behind them.

A rare phenomenon occurs in the history of science and technology, that the industry is leading the academy. Traditionally, academic models and theories give birth to new technologies and real-world applications, but this time it is the reverse. Although AI today is a practical tool for enhancing teaching and learning, educators must be aware of the challenges AI brings. For example, the tendency that students have become overly dependent on AI and the disability to deep thinking; the hallucination problem where AI shows seemingly plausible but incorrect information. Therefore, this idea aims to inspire educators as well as students to think about how AI helps in education, but not to become an obstacle to growth. Educators can no longer be merely a knowledge provider as AI knows way more than a human mind. Instead, the dynamic between teachers and students should be in the form of dialogue, guiding students to think deeper and deeper and answer their inquiries along the way. Moreover, there is one thing that AI can not replace: educators are moral leaders. AI tells students the rules of the universe, but educators make them see kindness, fairness, and honesty by the way they act and speak. This will have a huge impact on the mental growth of students and help them become better people.

Marketing, Organizing Events, Public Speaking, Teaching

There were many presentations back in college, and I used to be the person who shook when speaking on stage; it had been affecting my presentations for a few semesters. It was not until I saw “Your Body Language Shapes Who You Are” by Amy Cuddy did I realized that we could get rid of the shaking, nervousness, and even fear just by adjusting our body gestures. I started to adjust low-power gestures to high-power poses, and with time, I have been able to overcome fear on stage. I keep watching TED talks ever since both online and onsite, and every talk has given me new insight, energy, and inspiration for my teachings and life. I have arranged many in-school debates, and it comes to me that students need a bigger platform where their daily inspirations and creativity are shared and valued in the community. That’s why I’m so eager to organize the TEDxBHI Youth event. I want to create a platform to inspire the community so that everyone in the community can feel excited and energized by something new and fun. At the same time, I also want to prepare students and other potential speakers for real-life situations where they need to present or explain something to the audience they want to deliver to.

Rock Climbing, Bouldering