Annika Agrawal

Activist, Brainstormer, Care taker, Event planner, Explorer, Global soul, Hindu, Investor, Journalist, Life mentor, Musician, Project manager, Scientist, Student, World traveler, Writer/Editor

Hi! My name is Annika and I'm a TEDx Organizer. I'm a high school student who attends Hinsdale Central High School, located in a suburb of Chicago, IL. In school, I'm a scientist, a mathematician, a journalist, and an editor. I write for my school paper, edit for the literary magazine, and compete for math team and Science Olympiad. When I'm not sitting in a classroom, I'm all those things and more. I write for my local paper, looking for small-town stories and incredible people to interview for their stories. The wealth of innovation in my town is what led to me TEDx. I use my passion for science to coach the Science Olympiad team at my old middle school, and teaching is a whole separate source of joy. I've always loved children; I believe that youth have some of the best ideas for changing the world. I conduct biomedical research, working hands-on in a graduate lab, and I've seen the miracles that science can perform. I believe that technology is the future. I believe that being able to express ideas freely is the future. I edit for an international literary magazine, and put my own creative words on paper on the side. I love meeting new people. The ability to communicate is underrated, but it's what's given me a love for languages. I learned American Sign Language by taking classes at my local community college, and I've spent time volunteering at children's parties in the Deaf community. I learned Spanish over several years in school, and had the opportunity to utilize it on an exchange trip I took this fall. Living in Spain broadened my horizons, forged life-changing friendships, and completely flipped my perspective on myself as a global citizen. I aim to travel as much as I can, to see and do everything possible, and to learn more about myself in the process. I hope to pursue both my passion for science research and for journalistic writing in college and in my career. I also hope to continue to be a social advocate in whatever community I become a part of, whether that involves walking out of class to protest gun violence in schools, or attending rallies to fight for women's rights to their own bodies. This generation of students is the change, and that starts in so many places. It even starts here with TEDx.