TEDxUCIS Youth

Speakers

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

• Ali Mirza

  Student

  Meet Ali, a 13-year-old Indian student living in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Growing up in a multicultural environment has helped Ali become more aware of different perspectives and, more importantly, more aware of himself. At TEDxUCIS Youth, Ali will explore the idea of listening to the inner voice—intuition—and how learning to trust it can guide decisions, build confidence, and shape personal growth. Through everyday experiences at school and in life, Ali has come to understand that intuition is a quiet but powerful tool that helps young people navigate challenges and discover who they are becoming. With curiosity and optimism, Ali hopes to inspire others to pause, listen inward, and trust their own instincts.

• Ella Shorr

  Student

  Ella is an international student in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Her passion for connecting with people was initially sparked by her curiosity about human nature and the role of relationships in our lives. This curiosity later inspired her to develop her own theory, called “the triangle of connection,” which explains how individuals and society can achieve more together.

• Kaisorn (Arbu) Nakprasit

  Student

  Meet Arbu, a 17-year-old stargazer who grew up in a place where mornings meant feeding chickens and picking lemon grass. When he started studying in Chiang Mai, Thailand, his world quickly changed. His days no longer began in the fields, but with opening email, organizing documents, and learning to navigate a fast-paced, always-on world. Living between these two spaces - one shaped by simplicity, the other by constant connection - gave Arbu a rare perspective, and sparked a quiet question that now shapes how he sees the world: what does freedom truly mean?

• Niu (Crystal) Yue Yue

  Student

  Meet Crystal, a 15 year-old student who moved from Shanghai, China to study in Chiang Mai, Thailand at a young age. She lived a fast-paced life in a Chinese school system, but once she moved to Thailand, she was thrown into lessons entirely in English which left her feeling alienated and lost. Crystal brings a unique perspective to the TEDxUCIS Youth Event, where she will speak about how the sensation of feeling lost is not a failure but a gateway to discovering our authentic self, new opportunities and new potentials.

• Nixsa Saenjaibal

  Artist / Singer / Songwriter

  Nixsa (Nixsa Saenjaibal) is a multidisciplinary Thai artist, singer-songwriter, and producer who views creativity as a "way of living" rather than a talent. Her work is deeply rooted in sensory perception and cultural fusion, often utilizing unique and traditional instruments to bridge boundaries. From her classical roots to modern sound comfort, she treats creativity as a "shared force" to respond to her community, emphasizing that true perception—and even silence—serves as a powerful tool for meaningful, collective care.

• Pawanphat (Suri) Vichienket

  Student

  Suri is a high school senior and student leader who spends a lot of time asking why achievement can feel so heavy. In her talk, she explores performance saturation and maladaptive perfectionism, the quiet pressure to keep doing more even when success stops feeling meaningful. Through personal stories of burnout, leadership, and learning to pause, she invites audiences to reconsider ambition and ask a gentler question: does this feed you, or does it just fill you?

• Purichaya (Elly) Nattaradol

  Student

  Elly is on a mission to "fire trends" as her personal stylist. Her journey from crafting spiky silver bracelets to sewing custom dresses explores the pressures and joys of modern youth culture. She draws inspiration from vintage family archives and the underground music scene to navigate her unique identity. Ultimately, Elly believes the most powerful thing you can wear is your own truth.

• Rebekah Dawt Thachin

  Student

  Every judgment we make is a story we tell ourselves with missing pages. In this powerful talk, Rebekah explores how silence becomes rudeness, difference becomes threat, and uncertainty becomes assumption. Drawing from moments of grief, social pressure, and mislabeling, she reveals how easily we confuse what we see for who someone is. This talk is an invitation to change perspective, stay with the discomfort of not knowing, and discover the full spectrum of humanity hidden just beyond first glance.

• Tun (Richard) Nyan Lin

  Student

  Richard, a 15-year-old who loves reading, reflecting, and caring for his body, shares his battle with severe psoriasis, a chronic autoimmune "curse" covering most of his body, through the mirror of H.P. Lovecraft's The Outsider. From shame and isolation to a mindset breakthrough, he reveals how vulnerability cracks open strength, hope, and resilience. Learn the mind-body cycle, lifestyle shifts that tamed his flares, and how to break the negative cycle of sickness, stress, and shame.

• Yoon (Arlyn) Wadi

  Student

  Arlyn is a 15-year-old Burmese student currently studying in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Growing up in a messy household, trying to find stability in family life has been a challenge for her. At TEDxUCIS Youth, Arlyn will share her personal experiences growing up with an absent, emotionally unintelligent father; and how she struggled with finally coming to terms with the fact that blood relations don’t always equal love and devotion.