TEDxYouth@PMSS

Speakers

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

• Amaira Merchant

  Student

  What if the biggest obstacle we face isn’t failure but how we see failure? Whether it’s a missed shot in a game or a tough day in class, we often let a single moment define our entire story. But what if that moment isn’t the full truth just a frame in a bigger picture? Amaira Merchant takes us inside the high-stakes world of basketball and the intense journey of the IB program to explore how perspective can distort or empower our understanding of success, self-worth, and resilience. Blending personal experiences with emotional insight, she challenges the idea that mistakes are endpoints, instead framing them as stepping stones toward growth. Amaira leaves us with a powerful question: In the face of pressure, setbacks, and self-doubt, can we train our minds to zoom out and see the full game?

• Andrew Li

  Student

  Hello reader! This is Andrew Li, and he will be presenting at the PMSS x TEDX event of 2025-26. During this TEDX year, Andrew aims to expand horizons through sharing his own experiences and ideas, to help the audience learn not just facts, but also its difference from fiction. For him, fact and fiction are crucial aspects of truth, and this truth, is crucial to an informatively honest world. For curious minds who spend their time consuming info, our narratives are often product of what we consume. If said info is false, we consume that which is false, and as we share our knowledge when expanding others’ horizons, we inadvertently spread misinformation. Often times this is not purposeful, yet it is extremely harmful, as the what the majority agrees upon, is not always true. To combat the powerful influence of the majority upon everyday information, we must look deeper into what we explore, and to create our own understanding through critical thinking and analysis of what is OBJECTIVE.

• Dhaya Sudhakar

  Student

  Grief is unavoidable. We all have something that we could lose, and one day maybe will. But, how lucky are we to have in our grasp something so precious to us that we are afraid of its absence? However, something lost is never completely gone. It lives on through our memories, snapshots of our lives. Even if your puzzle is missing a piece, you don't forget what it looks like, since it's a part of the bigger picture. The pieces that match with it remind you of what it is. Even in its absence, its presence is still there. The reminder may sting or soothe, but the fact that you can still remember is a privilege. Dhaya aims to max that out. Add as many pieces to her puzzle as she can. Understanding that the vastness of any future grief she might feel will simply reflect the immense love and joy she was privileged to have has changed her mindset on loss. It’s no longer an obstacle. Hopefully, she conveys that message, and you will strive to live a life worth grieving as well.

• Emma Durmishaj

  Student

  “What does it mean to be human”, is a simple yet perplexing question. We know we are human, amongst other flesh on bone, cognitive functioning, and inherently foolish but loving beings, I for one knew certainly I was human. However, in the age of smartphones and social media there is an aspect of being that is torn from us all. Grade 12 student Emma suggests that there is an oblivious movement towards unfulfillment. She explains that the complexity of human being pertains to our ability to feel and process emotion alongside the experiences we face. There is this courage we all hold to tackle our emotions. Although at the hands of foreign feelings, it knows no life. To feel profoundly has become an incommodity, such that we seep into the screen of a “highlight reel” in attempts to cope with the sum of our being. We are at the hands of actively collapsing our horizons. So, Emma urges we seek to be, at whatever cost, it is the true pursuit of human being.

• Joyce Li

  Student

  “I lost in a feminist motion against men” is an unfortunate phrase, but it is far more tragic when the “I” in question is a woman. The irony of this situation has regrettably persisted throughout Joyce’s debate career, and something finally clicked when it mattered: UBC Spring 2025 Finals, in an open auditorium with a panel of judges and dozens of spectators. No, what clicked was not a victory; it was something far better; at least, that is what she will preach if anyone asks. Do the traditional feminist ideologies stand in the way of modern feminism? What does that say about women who paint their nails, curl their hair, and live their best lives as stay-at-home wives? It was an argument made poorly in the context of a motion about girlification, but it speaks to an audience far beyond the wooden walls of the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre. Women fight. They advocate. They stand up to a captious society unwaveringly. But behind them stand women who are feminine.

• Julia Sung

  Student

  Hi! I'm Julia, a Grade 9 student full of curiosity and ambition. I love learning, sharing experiences, and keeping an open mind. As a Korean immigrant, I’ve learned the power of open-mindedness and embracing new experiences. I'm all about growing, connecting, and finding ways (big or small) to make a difference in the world.