TEDxThe Avery Coonley School

Speakers

Speakers may not be confirmed. Check the event website for the latest lineup.

• Jean Kang

  Founder

  Jean Kang is a founder, instructor, and creator with 365,000+ followers across LinkedIn, Instagram, and her newsletter. A former program manager at LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Figma, Jean blends deep tech industry experience with a human-first approach to career storytelling and business building. Jean’s work has been featured in Forbes, Fast Company, CNBC, and more. She is known for making career growth radically transparent and helping high-achieving professionals make bold pivots without burning out. Her mission is to help people articulate their value, own their voice, and build careers and businesses they genuinely love.

• Mahima Krishnan

  Environmental Activist

  Mahima is a student at the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy and a passionate youth environmental activist. She is an active member of It’s Our Future and serves on the Youth Climate Advisory Board for Climate Education in Illinois, where she played a key role in helping pass the state’s climate education bill. Beyond legislation, Mahima has organized climate strikes, worked on school sustainability policies, and coordinated Youth Climate Mixers with It’s Our Future. Through her work, she emphasizes the power of collective action and strives to bring together people from diverse backgrounds to create meaningful change.

• Siona Sampat

  Student

  Siona is a middle school student at Avery Coonley School in Downers Grove, IL, whose love for music inspired a deep inquiry into the relationship between emotions and songwriting. She explores challenges of modern communication and social media, the universal power of music, and the urgency of creativity as a way to connect today’s youth. Siona began songwriting at age 8, learning to link emotions to lyrics, lyrics to melody, and songs to audiences. She sings, plays guitar and piano, and continues to grow as a musician. Beyond music, Siona is a curious learner and active community member. She serves as Student Council Treasurer, participates in STEAM, Math Counts, and Choir, and swims for the Hinsdale Swim Club, where water deepens her body awareness. She hopes to inspire others to find their passions, build connections, and channel creativity to encourage vulnerability, intentionality, and shared experiences.

• Veer Patwardhan

  Alumni

  Veer Patwardhan is a freshman at Lake Forest Academy who is a proud alumni of Avery Coonley. He is deeply passionate about sustainability and has helped plant trees and revive ponds. He did this through the help of Ramveer Tanwar, another Ted Talk speaker who runs a non-profit organization named “Say Earth.” More recently, Veer has been committed to developing a new type of wind turbine that could turn the tide in the fight against climate change.

• Vivek Mody

  Student

  Vivek is a lower school student at The Avery Coonley School in Downers Grove, IL. In his free time, he enjoys visiting national parks and traveling the world. Vivek is also a 1st degree black belt student in taekwondo. From a young age, he enjoyed building with Legos which led to his interest in Lego robotics. As an active member of the FLL (FIRST LEGO League) robotics team, Vivek was invited to present at the 2024 FIRST World Championship in Houston. His team’s innovation project focused on sustainability, showcasing an AI-powered hydroponic garden built at school. Vivek shared how artificial intelligence can be used to optimize water and energy usage in hydroponic systems, while also encouraging healthy eating in schools. Passionate about sustainability, Vivek is excited about finding better ways for communities to garden and live healthier lifestyles.