TEDxEvans Youth

Speakers

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

• Aadya Mishra

  Speaker

  Aadya Mishra is a 9th grader at Lakeside High School. Influenced by years of competitive math, she joined TEDx to explore how much of our lives we can truly control. Her speech reflects her unique mindset and encourages the audience to engage with mathematics every single day. She believes this practice allows people to connect more deeply and authentically with the world around them.

• Aditya Doppalapudi

  Speaker

  Aaditya Doppalapudi is a junior at Augusta Prep. plays soccer and does skeet shooting for his school. He is on the chess team for his school as well. In his free time he enjoys spending time with his friends and family. His speech is about living for yourself rather than following expectations. He chose this speech topic because he believes it is important to live authentically and for yourself.

• Akshar Amin

  Speaker

  Akshar Amin is a sophomore at Aiken High School and Vice President of the Beta Club. An avid volunteer for various nonprofits, Akshar enjoys sports, travel, and trying new foods. He joined TEDx to make a positive contribution to his community. He chose to participate because he hopes to inspire others through service and share his passion for helping those in need.

• Arush Gupta

  Speaker

  Aarush Gupta is a freshman at Lakeside High School who enjoys tennis and congressional debate. Looking ahead, he wishes to pursue a career in medicine as a physician. He joined TEDx to discuss the technology and challenges behind flying cars. He chose this topic because of his lifelong fascination with aviation, turning a childhood dream into a professional exploration of the future of transport.

• Aryan Patel

  Speaker

  Aryan Patel is a pre-IB sophomore at Lakeside High School who loves swimming, working out, and exploring new cuisines. Aryan is active in various clubs and stays curious about the world. In his speech, “What’s Programming You?”, he draws from his personal experience with screen addiction to challenge audiences to reclaim their control from algorithms.

• Ashwinkrishna Gurumoorthy

  Speaker

  Ashwinkrishna Gurumoorthy is a pre-IB freshman at Lakeside High School with a strong passion for science, specifically healthcare. He spends his free time actively playing sports and hanging out with friends. Ashwin wants to talk about whether GMOs are superfoods or super problems because of his curiosity on how they affect human health and ethics.

• Jamaira Maria Arroyo

  speaker

  Jamaira Arroyo is a senior at Grovetown High School. She joined TEDx to share her deep passion for technology and human expression through her speech, “Where did human creativity go?” Driven by personal experiences and frustrations with AI, Jamaira chose this specific topic to challenge the audience's thinking and spark meaningful conversations about the future of creativity in a digital world.

• Jay Shetty

  Speaker

  Jay Shetty is an 11th-grade IB student at Lakeside High School and president of the Hindu YUVA club. As a CyberPatriot competitor and band member, Jay has studied cybersecurity through various online courses. He joined TEDx to discuss the dangers of online living and chose this topic to share his technical knowledge, helping the audience navigate the complex and often risky landscape of the digital world.

• Mayesha Rehman

  Speaker

  Mayesha Rehman is a pre-IB sophomore at Lakeside High School who enjoys piano, dance, and art. Drawing from personal experience and medical internships at Piedmont Hospital and Augusta University, Mayesha joined TEDx to speak on living with diabetes. She chose this topic to advocate for holistic care and to highlight the significant toll that medical conditions can take on mental and emotional health.

• Riya Amin

  Speaker

  Riya Amin is a pre-IB sophomore at Lakeside High School who excels in color guard and enjoys helping others. She joined TEDx to explore whether healthcare should be a fundamental human right or an earned privilege. Riya chose this topic to highlight how medical access affects equality and public health. She encourages her audience to question the current system and imagine a fairer way forward.

• Ryan Du

  Student

  Ryan Du is a junior in the IB program at Lakeside High School, where he participates in Science Olympiad and Investment Club. In his spare time, he enjoys lifting weights and cooking. He aims to pursue a career in finance, but his TEDx speech, “What Does Being Healthy Really Mean?”, focuses on shifting societal views from physical appearance toward a balance of mindset and habits.

• Sahaj Patel

  Speaker

  Sahaj Patel is a junior at Lakeside High School, active in FBLA, debate, and his Hindu community. Known for his talkative personality, he loves sharing his passions with others. He chose to deliver his speech, “Is Identity a Bridge or a Barrier?”, because he has seen how identity can both connect and divide. He explores how embracing our identity can transform barriers into bridges.

• Shelby Smith

  Speaker

  Shelby Smith is an IB junior at Lakeside High School and a leader in Relay for Life. A nationally recognized volleyball player and Taekwondo black belt, Shelby has competed in eight different sports. She joined TEDx to address the declining state of youth athletics in America. Drawing from her experience, she aims to raise awareness about how the current system impacts the future of athletes.

• Sheridan Aleshire

  Speaker

  Sheridan Aleshire is a freshman at Grovetown High School with eleven years of piano experience. A composer and athlete in trampoline and tumbling, she loves botanical gardens and dreams of visiting France. She is currently considering a career in molecular gastronomy. In her talk, Sheridan conveys the various ways music can help people see beyond their differences to make the world a more peaceful, unified place.

• Vansh Sarin

  Speaker

  Vansh Sarin is a creative 9th-grade student who believes learning should be driven by curiosity rather than the pressure of chasing perfect grades. After seeing how scores can overshadow real understanding, he chose his topic, “Are Grades a Distraction from Growth?” In his speech, he explores how the pursuit of numbers can limit risk-taking and creativity, encouraging his peers to prioritize genuine progress.

• Xavier Borel

  Speaker

  Xavier Borel is a junior in the International Baccalaureate program at Lakeside High School. With over six years of experience in band, he has learned that wrong notes and mistakes are actually his greatest teachers. In his talk, “What if wrong notes are the first step to creating good music,” Xavier shares how music developed his discipline. He ultimately aspires to become a professional pharmacologist.