Theme: The Power Within

Throughout high school, students often question how they will get through the next four years; between homework, tests, and extra curricular responsibilities, it is very easy for students to lose sight of their own power. At TEDxEastBrunswickHighSchool, we will explore happiness from all angles, aiding students in their quest to access the power within.

East Brunswick High School
380 Cranbury Road
East Brunswick, New Jersey, 08816
United States

Alan Brodman

The Value of Speech in a Society of Technology

Anna Zhang

Conquering My Fear of the Unknown

Anna Zhang is a 14 year-old photographer based in New York specializing in the field of commercial photography. At such a young age, Anna has developed a unique eye and authentic style which has led her to work with many internationally renowned brands. In addition, Anna is the founding editor in chief of Pulse Spikes, an online and quarterly print magazine created by young people for young people. The magazine covers the fields of lifestyle & fashion, travel, and entertainment. With a great passion and dedication to her work, she has inspired many adolescents to pursue their individual dreams.

Chris Devery

Imagination as Fact

Chris Devery believes that just because something is imaginary, doesn't mean it isn't real. His unique outlook on life, innovation, and creativity has allowed him to fulfill all of his childhood dreams within five years of graduating from high school. Whether it be a puppet designer for Sesame Street, or a Walt Disney Imagineer, Chris Devery has made doing the impossible just another part of his daily routine. He hopes to continue to create and explore impossible worlds, and encourage young minds to embrace the greatest gift given to mankind; imagination.

Haim Cohen

Secrets make me Happy!

Haim Cohen is a teacher at East Brunswick High School. He teaches computer science from the introductory level to the advanced level and helps students realize their dreams in the field of computer science. Cohen also organizes the East Brunswick High School Code Club, which sends many students to nearby hackathons in order to compete. The club members organize East Brunswick's annual Hour of Code which draws more and more children into the world of computer science.

Jonah Aguilar

Getting Past First Impressions

Jonah Aguilar is a junior at East Brunswick High School where he is is well involved in many activities school-wide! He has realized the importance of first impressions and has taken a step to explore the second impression! In his exploration into the world of snap judgements he has analyzed just how influential first impressions are and how we can overcome them by using what he calls a second impression.

Leslie Anderson

How Smart Are You?

Leslie C Anderson graduated Rutgers University with a BS in Chemistry but knew that formal research was not her passion. She entered the education world and quickly found a home at East Brunswick High School where she was hired as a chemistry and physics teacher and has been happily working with students and staff for the last 20 years. To spend additional time with students, Leslie advised the yearbook for 15 years, Key Club, Science Teams, and, currently advises National Honor Society and Science Honor Society. Along the way, she received a MS from the University of Pennsylvania as a Bristol Meyers Squibb Fellow in hopes of giving her students an even richer science experience. Teaching students, not subjects, Leslie hopes each student finds his or her own power within but is amazed at what she learns from her students everyday.

Michael Wildermuth

Smartphones: empowering or Imprisoning?

Nikhil Sadaranaganey

Focus

Nikhil Sadaranganey, a sophomore at East Brunswick High School, is an active member of his high school community. Whether it be in clubs like Class Council or Model United Nations, or on the field as a member of the school baseball team, he is an all-round student. Outside of school, he enjoys reading, playing video games and spending time with his friends and family. Fascinated by experts at the top of their fields, he uses his talk to examine the role focus plays in how they got there.

Parth Dhruve

Pollution

Parth Dhruve is a junior at East Brunswick High School. An avid history student, he takes a special interest in international affairs, participating in East Brunswick's Model United Nations program. He also describes himself as "thinking against the grain", enjoying questioning seemingly sound arguments. He combines these two interests in his TEDx talk, titled "Is Pollution Justifiable?".

Shirley Song

Female Empowerment Through Sports

Shirley Song, a senior at East Brunswick High School, came to find that women’s soccer is more than just the flashy hat-tricks and dramatic last minute goals, and quite a bit less than the big bucks and fame that the men’s side had: it’s about passion, about challenging injustices. She hopes to introduce a new perspective to her audience--one that breaks societal norms. Shirley will attend George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs starting in Fall 2016 and looks to study law in her future.

Shravan Balaji

How to be a Political Guru

Shravan Balaji has spent his entire life fueling his obsession with politics, which lead to him choosing to share his personal path and recommendations while making a civic challenge. He hopes his audience will take away the importance of political involvement and awareness. He is currently a freshman at the University of Pennsylvania’s Huntsman Program and plans on entering financial restructuring once he graduates.

Varun Boopathi

Technology: A Personality Changer?

Varun Boopathi is a sophomore at East Brunswick High School where he is very involved with many clubs, classes, and … technology. Using these devices constantly for class activities and for completing homework, he realized how frequently we use our devices and how we live connected to them. Seeing that there was no escape from the realms of technology, he pondered on the psychological effects technology has on our brains. Inspired by his own experiences and his observations of others, here is his research on how technology can actually change your personality.