TEDxASM Youth

Speakers

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

• Alexia Tournois

  Student

  Alexia Tournois is a multilingual Grade 11 student with a focus on diplomacy and international relations. A National Recognition Award Winner and Harvard Prize Book recipient, she has trained at Georgetown’s International Relations Academy and holds extensive leadership experience across Europe’s top Model UN conferences. Alexia is also the founder of Her Diplomacy, a platform empowering young women in leadership, and the founder of her school’s varsity tennis team. She brings a cross-cultural perspective shaped by living and learning across borders.

• Dr Stephen C Patton

  Entrepreneur

  Dr. Stephen C. Patton is an academic and entrepreneur with over 28 years of experience building businesses in high-growth economies. A "progressive perfectionist" with a PhD and a triple Master’s in Corporate Finance, Blockchain/Fintech, and Image Engineering, he is the author of Retail Neuronomics—a methodology leveraging unconscious triggers in decision-making. Through his work building the BANPAY Group, Stephen advocates for self-sustaining financial models and social evolution, driven by the belief that human interaction will always surpass transaction.

• Elias Block

  Student

  Elias Block is a 13-year-old Grade 8 student at the American School of Madrid with a distinct global perspective. Born in Montreal to American and Moroccan parents, he spent his early childhood in the UAE before moving to Spain at age six. Outside of the classroom, Elias enjoys basketball, debating, public speaking, and Model United Nations (MUN). He values time spent with family and friends and brings his multicultural background to the TEDx stage.

• Eric Foinquinos

  Educator

  Eric Foinquinos brings together the analytical lens of a historian, the creativity of a filmmaker, and the philosophical curiosity of a TOK scholar. Before joining ASM, Eric built an international career as a film and television composer, creating scores for more than 150 documentaries and miniseries aired across the globe. His dual background in the arts and social sciences gives him a distinctive voice on how storytelling, perspective, and truth shape both learning and society.

• Gabriel Aparcio

  Student

  Gabriel is a Grade 11 student with a passion for communication and competition. A dedicated member of the Speech and Debate team, he loves exploring complex ideas and finding common ground through words and stories. When not at the podium, you can find him on the volleyball court or diving into the latest comic book, drawn to the way visual storytelling can communicate powerful ideas. It was this love for storytelling—both visual and spoken—that sparked the inspiration for his talk.

• Laney Bartos

  Grade 11 Student

  Laney Bartos is an 11th grade IB Year 1 student at the American School of Madrid. Since age 5, Laney has been involved in music, originally learning piano and then expanding to play over 6 instruments, making music a huge part of her life, and the reason she will be delivering her talk about Music in Culture. Outside of music, Laney is involved in leadership in ASM’s MUN club and Speech and Debate club, participates in National Honor Society, and is passionate about volunteering for local causes. Aside from these, she also enjoys traveling, listening to music, reading, and spending time with family. In the future, she plans to study International Relations and English, with hopes of becoming a lawyer and diplomat. Laney is curious about how creative spaces influence culture, and she is excited to share how music is a means of sparking culture into motion!

• Lyla Xiao Yi Zhen Belnap

  Student

  Lyla Belnap is a 13-year-old Grade 8 student at the American School of Madrid. A Chinese-American originally from Salt Lake City, Utah, she brings a unique perspective as the middle sibling between an older brother and a younger sister. An adventurer at heart who is always up for trying new things, Lyla has embraced her life in Spain and is excited to step onto the TEDx stage to share her ideas.

• Marci Renée

  Anti-trafficking advocate + Author

  Marci Renée is an anti-trafficking advocate, author, and international speaker. She is the founder and director of The Strawberry Girls, a non-profit serving Moroccan women trafficked through Spain’s strawberry industry, and Creative Voices of Freedom, which uses art to combat human trafficking. A published author of six creative non-fiction books and seven children’s books, Marci works in safe houses with survivors and globally with refugees. She believes deeply in the power of voice and feels called to speak for the "Silent Ones."

• Paz Garcia-Blanch Echeverria

  Student

  Paz was born in New York and moved to Madrid in 2021. Currently a Grade 10 student at the American School of Madrid, she describes herself as an aspiring philosopher. Paz loves asking difficult questions about the world and the people in it—a curiosity that led her to discover the incredible phenomenon of motivated reasoning, which she will be exploring in her talk.

• Shany Armellini

  Student

  Shany Lombardi Armellini is a Grade 10 student at the American School of Madrid. Originally from Northern Virginia, she recently relocated to Spain with her family. With a strong academic focus on Computer Science, Engineering, and English, Shany is also deeply involved in school life, participating in the Speech, Debate, and Acting team, playing basketball, and drumming for the school band. Having discovered a newfound passion for public speaking, she aspires to bridge the gap between STEM and professional lecturing.