TEDxYouth@ISGDammam

Speakers

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

• Ahmed Majdi Hamdan

  Grade 9 Student

  Ahmad Hamdan is not only an exceptional swimmer but also a dedicated athlete and talented writer. As a hardworking student, he embodies resilience and determination. The Empty Lane We all reach a point where our bodies can no longer handle it and simply want to stop. When your lungs are burning, when your legs are too weak to support your body weight, and you feel you have nothing left to give. But you keep going, this is not physical strength but mental toughness, this is called the empty lane, a place where there is no one to cheer, no one to race, and no one to notice, just you alone to keep fighting.

• Ali Baseer

  Senior at ISG Dammam

  Ali Baseer Awan is a senior at ISG Dammam. He is a devoted speaker who takes a keen interest in engineering and exploring the observable world around him. Water Without Wells: This talk looks at a future where clean water doesn’t come from underground or the sea, but from the air around us. By engineering manganese dioxide to become more porous, we can capture more atmospheric moisture through atmospheric water generators. With the growing demand for clean water, this offers a new option for drier regions of the world, such as Saudi Arabia, to produce clean water locally.

• Ann Thomas

  Grade 7 Student

  Ann Thomas is a skilled dancer and a budding debater. She shares her compelling experiences, illustrating how remaining silent often yields little to no reward. Why Staying Silent is Not an Option My idea is to demonstrate that remaining silent is not an option and can cause more harm than speaking out. Silence in the presence of evil—whether injustice, bullying, or personal struggles—will allow harm to continue and escalate. Unless we speak up, we can be exploited and misunderstood.

• Ayan Khan

  Senior at ISG Dammam

  Ayan Khan is a high school senior who enjoys maths, is a versatile athlete, and enjoys life to the core. Attention is the new currency - and we are broke Ayan wants to wake people up, make them see and realize that their attention isn't free. He wants the audience to understand that their attention is just like any other currency, valuable and desired.

• Ayesha Asher

  Grade 9 Student

  Ayesha Asher is a compassionate and resourceful student who loves debating and public speaking. She is a friendly member of the National Junior Honor Society and the Peer Advisory League, and she actively contributes to the Student Council Advisory group. The Science of Overthinking: How Our Brains Trick Us Into Doing Nothing Did you know your brain can use up to 70% of its energy just spinning in circles of thought? Have you ever found yourself trapped in your own thoughts or overthinking a conversation, only to feel confused? I will explore the science of overthinking—what happens in our brain during those endless “what-if” loops and why it makes us freeze rather than act.

• Bayan Omran

  Grade 9 student

  Bayan Omran is an enthusiastic student, takes interest in French, and loves creative writing. This talk delves into what it truly means to exist—not as a distant philosophical idea, but as a lived, daily reality. It reflects on the experience of being Black in a world that often refuses to see us fully, confronting how identity, visibility, and humanity intertwine. Through personal stories and honest reflection, the talk invites the audience to consider what it takes to be seen, to belong, and to live fully in spaces that sometimes deny that wholeness.

• Dhruva Prasanth

  Grade 7 Student

  Dhruva Prasanth is an energetic debater and confident speaker, and a vibrant student. What is Success, and What if I Don’t Achieve It? I am passionate about expressing this topic because, ever since I was 8, I have always imagined myself as a successful person when I grow up. However, now, at the age of 12, the thought comes into my mind: what if I don’t achieve success?

• Farida Ghadiry

  Grade 10 Student

  Farida is a talented poet and emerging speaker. Farida’s passion for the impact of everyday moments is sure to inspire us all. “The Power of Micro-Moments: How Small Interactions Shape Big Change” In a fast-paced, digitally dominated world, we often overlook the tiny, seemingly insignificant moments—holding a door, offering a kind word, listening without interrupting. These “micro-moments” have a measurable ripple effect on personal well-being, community trust, and even workplace productivity.

• Gen Grason Kitaoka-Aurelius

  Grade 9 student

  Gen is an exceptional and inspiring speaker, known for his unwavering passion for public speaking competitions. And if you’ve heard him before, his confident voice is really inspiring to listen to. Coping with anxiety and embarrassment. Let's be honest. The world’s people nowadays are mentally unstable for not much of a reason. Stress at a young age is a universal phenomenon, and it's an unnecessary burden in our brains that we're taking on for something so simple. So I want to allow them to learn to cope with this everyday occurrence with a bit of a punch of laughter to it, like they're listening to a sitcom!

• Hala Khaled

  Grade 8 Student

  Hala Khaled Aboueita is a talented student, she is a proud member of the National Junior Honor Society, and an enthusiastic treasurer of the Debate club. Deep Fakes This talk aims to demystify deepfakes—AI-generated fake images, videos, and audio recordings—and reveal why they pose real risks and opportunities in today’s digital world. Attendees will discover how deepfakes work, learn about dramatic real-life examples, and understand their impact on privacy, security, and trust online. By raising awareness, this talk encourages critical thinking, digital citizenship, and informed responses to both the dangers and benefits posed by deepfake technology.

• Hayeon Jang

  Grade 7 Student

  Hayeon Jang is an artist, a budding speaker, and a lover of debate and chess. What Builds a Racist Child? Is it the misbehaving children who are racist, or is it everything around them? I believe we shouldn’t blame it on children who are still young. Instead, we have to investigate what their ill mindset might be built upon. What they see and hear must have made them who they are.

• Izabela Aquino Aniversario

  Grade 9 STUDENT

  Izabela Aniversario is an athlete, musician, singer, and loves participating in debate and public speaking events. She is a member of NJHS. She explores how, even though in life one may feel behind. That's a delusion created by self-doubt and comparison with peers. Life is a marathon, not a sprint- As an athlete herself she firsthand experiences the different between rushing and enjoying the journey that the race has to offer. In this ted talk Life is a journey; we need to keep running or pace ourselves, because if we try to go too fast, we will run out of energy. It’s about reserving energy for what is to come.

• Muhammad Mohid Alam siddiqi

  Grade 9 Student

  Mohid Alam is a fiery speaker and diligent student. He loves participating in debate competitions and enjoys robotics. He is the president of the High School Debate Club. How to Live - The Right Way Most people say 8 hours of sleep is enough, but I add another thing on that checklist: the “circadian rhythm,” a fancy word scientists use for the body's clock. In today’s world, many things disrupt the body’s clock, and when it gets disrupted, it starts to affect you. In my last talk, I explained why to sleep well, and this time we will dig deeper into how to sleep well, calm yourself down, and perhaps make your life more stress-free.

• Omar Majdi Hamdan

  Grade 9 Student

  Omar Hamdan embodies passion as a student, athlete, public speaker, and competitive swimmer, inspiring those around him. He is a skilled orator, deeply committed to his academic pursuits. Fall forward This talk is about falling forward instead of backward - how falling can ultimately propel us, rather than hindering us. Falling forward means embracing mistakes as opportunities to learn, adapt, and rise stronger. Instead of letting obstacles hold us back, we can use them as stepping stones that propel us toward growth, resilience, and success. By shifting our mindset from fear of failure to confidence in progress, we discover that every fall can move us closer to our goals.

• Raima Abu Bakar

  Grade 7 Student

  Raima Abu Bakar, an inspiring individual known for her commitment and enthusiasm. A member of the esteemed Basketball SAIKAC team, she also serves as the president of the debate club, showcasing her leadership and dedication. Stereotypes: we are more than the labels we wear We are more than the labels we wear. This is something that she is deeply connected to and is something that happens a bit too much in this world. She's here to bring attention to stereotypes and how they not only affect other people, but also how they affect you, and according to her, stereotypes are labels we shouldn't be wearing.

• Sofia Aquino Aniversario

  Grade 6 Student

  Sofia Aniversario is a dancer, singer, and right now is one of the youngest speakers of TEDx at ISG Dammam! Being Stuck In The Middle" My purpose is for my audience to understand the feeling of an 11-year-old kid who’s going through a different phase in life. They must hear this so that people will have a better perspective of us and our struggles. I am passionate about this topic because the majority of the kids at my age are experiencing the same things I am going through, frequently, "Being Stuck In The Middle," and we are often misunderstood.

• Usayd Shahid

  Grade 7 Student

  Bio: Usayd Shahid is an enthusiastic speaker, cross country runner, and loves being in public speaking contests. He is a responsible Public officer at the MS Debate Club. The Japanese secret to life: We are often told to chase passion, find our purpose, and discover that one thing we’re meant to do. Is our pursuit of clarity and purpose leading us astray? In today’s world, purpose is considered like following a GPS coordinate, where ambiguity is considered a failure. Usayd challenges this mindset and offers a fresh perspective on living with meaning and curiosity. With sharp insight and a dose of humor, Usayd invites us to stop asking what I should do with my life and start asking better questions, like what brings me energy, what feels meaningful, even if it is small. It's about living with a purpose and finding joy in our journey.