TEDxAbbey Park HS Youth

Speakers

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

• Ananya Agarwal

  Student

  Hey! I'm Ana, a Grade 9 student from White Oaks Secondary School. I'm grateful for the opportunity to speak about something that affects the way we interact with media, and the world around us - shrinking attention spans. I aim to present a fresh take on how we see this issue, exploring its potential implications on a global scale instead of just as a personal habit. Driven by curiosity and the desire to keep learning, I deeply value self-improvement, and I am excited to share a topic that has helped me develop both personally and as a global citizen. With varied interests from astronomy to politics to music, I hope to keep growing and to leave a long-lasting impact on the world around me in the future.

• Caleb Jiwani

  Student

  Hello! My name is Caleb Jiwani, and I am a grade 9 student at Abbey Park High School, interested in law and science, and I am very excited to be giving a TEDx this year! Every day, we feel more and more disheartened with devastating environmental news, which hinders our motivation and passion to help our environment and contribute to Earth as a whole. My speech explores the intersections between eco-anxiety, action, and mental health and shows that with small solutions, we can slowly but surely replenish our home. Outside of public speaking, I enjoy serving as an executive in non-profits like Sustainable Youth Canada, getting involved at Abbey Park through Model UN, and working as a Play Leader with the Town of Oakville.

• Daniel Xu

  Student

  Hi, my name is Daniel Xu, and I'm a grade 11 student at Abbey Park High School. I'm honored to be speaking at this year's TEDx Youth event. My talk explores something I've been thinking about for a long time - the way we sort the world into neat categories of right and wrong, good and bad, with us or against us, and how much we lose when we do. I've always been drawn to the spaces in between: the uncomfortable questions, the ideas that don't fit cleanly into one box, and the people who get labeled as different simply for seeing things differently. At my core, I believe that complexity isn't something to be afraid of; it's something to be curious about. I hope this talk challenges you to sit with a little more uncertainty, ask a few better questions, and maybe, just maybe, change your mind about something.

• Fares Elhelali

  Student

  Named one of Canada’s Top 50 Under 18 changemakers, my name is Fares Elhelali and I’m a 17-year-old from Oakville, Ontario, and the co-founder of the Canadian Muslim Speakers Academy. I’ve logged over 3,000 community volunteer hours and currently serve as Growth Lead at an AI startup. My work is rooted in three things, faith, determination, and curiosity, and I’m on a mission to prove you’re never the right age to start.

• Jorlanda Chen

  Student

  Hi! My name is Jorlanda Chen, a grade 11 student at Abbey Park High School. I'm a visionary in the sense that I'm drawn to ideas before they're obvious — and the idea behind this talk is one I've been sitting with for a long time. Very honoured to speak at the TEDx Youth event this year. My talk takes its inspiration from a Renaissance painting. When da Vinci created the Mona Lisa, he used a technique called sfumato: deliberately blurring the lines so that light and shadow blend into something richer than either alone. I think we, as people, work the same way. The most honest version of any person, any culture, and any society, lives in the blur, not the binary. I hope that by the end, every person walks away knowing that the parts of themselves that don't fit neatly into a category aren't their problem to manage; they're their most interesting feature.

• Lucia Fu

  Student

  Hi, my name is Lucia Fu, a Grade 11 student at Abbey Park High School and the youngest certified life design coach in China. While we are often taught that the shortest path is a straight line, my experience suggests otherwise. In my talk, I draw from personal experience and ideas across different fields to explore how uncertainty—the “grey zone”—is where our greatest possibilities begin. I believe life rises in spirals and moves in waves, shaped by both what we know and what we have yet to know.

• Manuthi Ranasinghe

  Student

  Hi there! My name is Manuthi Ranasinghe, and I'm a Grade 7 student from Stewarttown Middle School. I'm super excited and grateful for the chance to speak at this TEDx Conference this year. Rather than just speaking about a topic, I'd like to convey a message through my speech - a message that applies to all of us as individuals and as members of society. For as long as I can remember, I've considered one of my life goals to be this: make the world a better place. I put in the effort to realize this goal because I consider myself to have qualities of persistence and professionalism. I do all that I can to take concrete steps towards it. I'm passionate about legal systems and international affairs, and this passion greatly motivates me towards making the world a better place, one step at a time. As a speaker, I cannot wait to connect with my audience - the world - as I convey my message of simply making the world a better place.

• Niki Zhou

  Student

  Hello. My name is Niki Zhou, grade 11 from Abbey Park High School. I am excited to have this precious opportunity to speak this year. My topic focuses on binary thinking, which I believe many could connect with. Since childhood, I have been drawn to the art of storytelling and public speaking, now also eager to use my own voice to share my perspectives and experiences. My interests in plot analysis of games, MVs, and anime have given me a broader understanding of narrative and a lot of other knowledge. Through this speech, I hope to offer a connection with others and encourage people with my infectiousness. See you then!

• Omar Elnably

  Student

  Growing up in a competitive school environment, I've always admired the students who worked the hardest and achieved the most — but I've also seen how that same ambition can damage their relationships and shape their character in ways they don't notice. The story of Steve Jobs captures both sides of that better than anything else I've come across. I'm Omar Elnably, a Grade 11 student at Abbey Park High School, and that tension is what inspired this talk.

• Ryan Huang

  Student

  Hi! I'm Ryan Huang, a grade 10 student from Oakville Trafalgar High School. I'm excited and grateful to be selected as one of the speakers for this year's TEDx Abbey Park Conference! I am a pianist who is passionate about music, literature, and the arts. I am also deeply interested in topics such as cultural studies and political science. My topic this year dives into the complex issue of social labels and how the debate around this topic is a lot more nuanced than many people realize, because labels are neither good nor bad. My goal in life is to contribute to the world through my art and my passions, and to brighten people's lives with my creativity.