Sabrina Chan

Blogger, Explorer, Performer, Student, Writer/Editor

Sabrina Chan is a senior at Whitney High School and the Co-President of Pen on Paper. From a young age, Sabrina has loved to write and debate and ask questions that reveal the beauty of the world around her. As much as she loves to hear herself talk, she understands the value in providing others with the opportunity to showcase their ideas and hopes to create a platform of expression with TEDxWhitneyHigh. She hopes to apply the experience and knowledge she gains from TEDxWhitneyHigh to her other interests, including fashion blogging, producing and hosting her school's daily broadcast, and performing.

sharing joy. I am a firm believer that happiness should always be one's highest priority and do everything I can to ensure that no one feels helpless or without purpose. Sharing a smile or committing a random act of kindness to make someone's day is shockingly easy and is always worth the effort. After all, who couldn't stand to benefit from an extra dose of optimism?

Self-worth is not quantifiable. The current school system places a heavy emphasis on standardized testing scores, grades, and even a college's national ranking. Students are increasingly stressed as they are placed under an insurmountable pressure to achieve and excel. I believe that this system perpetuates unhealthy competition and instills a belief in students that their accomplishments are invalid unless they are high achieving in every regard. Pressures from school and personal standards that one sets for himself or herself must be reevaluated. Self-worth should be defined by an individual's personal growth, a scale that does not coincide with a perfect SAT score. Ultimately, growth and learning from one's mistakes are the true measures of character.

I began my journey with TED last year at TEDxWhitneyHigh 2015-2016 as the co-head of Publicity. I was completely blown away by the response. I remember seeing how truly invested all our audience members were in the event and how, for weeks after, students were discussing the speech topics with intense depth and investment. I felt such an immense sense of pride that I played a role in creating something so amazing, and thought-provoking. The Whitney High community seemed to unite for one night and I was so impressed by how genuinely curious people were. I want to continue that spirit of inquiry and provide a platform for people to share their ideas freely as I take on a larger role in TEDxWhitneyHigh this year.

writing heartfelt letters. I love writing letters to my closest friends to commemorate special events and occasions, and though they are riddled with cliches, they always come straight from the heart.