Theme: Overcoming Adversity

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized (subject to certain rules and regulations). Join us at the Burlington High School auditorium for this series of talks from local students and adults about overcoming adversity.

123 Cambridge Street
Burlington, Massachusetts, 01803
United States

Aashay Madhani

Student

Aashay Madhani is an 18-year-old entrepreneur, with a passion that lies within business building, international finance, start-up management, and investment strategy. He has had internships with multiple companies from which he has received phenomenal exposure as well as from experiences starting his own companies. He founded his first company at the age of 11, and operated it consistently for nearly 4 years. It was one of the highest ranked concierge car washing companies in customer satisfaction and service in the Greater Boston Area. In the fall of 2013, at the age of 14, following a passion in medical devices and finance, he also founded a biomedical device company called ZenDose Medical along with a couple friends. He is currently serving as CFO of this company. Aashay has done jobs from all walks of the professional world such as being a cashier, tutor, tour guide, and even a DJ. He looks forward to studying finance starting this fall at the University of Connecticut.

Allison Kinzer

Student

Allison is a 6th grade student at Acera School, a STEM school for gifted students. She pursues passions in Model UN, programming and photography.

Gabby Landry

Student

Gabrielle Landry is a junior at Montrose School. Gabby is the Editor-in-Chief and consistent writer for The Looking Glass, the Montrose School newspaper. She also serves as President and one of the "Founding Sisters" of Montrose's Model United Nations club, as well as the Co-President of her school's Respect for Life Club, an organization that seeks to promote respect for human life from conception to natural death. Gabby is also an active member of Montrose's NHS chapter and alumna of the Massachusetts HOBY chapter, an organization that strengthens teenagers as leaders and empowers them to serve their communities. She is also an active member of her church youth group, and has helped organize and lead different service projects to support community organizations. Gabby looks forward to sharing her ideas on how to shift your perspective of yourself and of the world to acquire a more positive and growth-oriented mindset.

Liam Lurker

Student

Liam is a 6th grade student at Acera, the Massachusetts School for Science, Creativity, and Leadership, in Winchester, MA. He values hard work and staying strong and committed even when stuff gets hard. In 2015 he performed with The SpeakEasy Stage Company in the Boston debut of "Mothers and Sons,” a Tony-nominated play by Terrence McNally. This play dealt with AIDS, same-sex marriage, and parental alienation. Liam has also performed with Boston Ballet in "Awake Only,” a ballet by Jorma Elo, showing a young man’s life, guided by his younger self; and in "The Nutcracker” for three seasons as a party sibling and a street urchin.

Olivia Van Ledtje

Student

Olivia (aka LivBit) is a 9-year old reader, thinker, and kids' voice believer. She is smart about all things shark and hopes to be a future ichthyologist. Olivia is an ambassador for the Gills Club, an organization promoting girls in science through inquiry-based experiences meant to grow enthusiasm and activism for sharks. She is also a passionate advocate for books and using social media to promote digital citizenship, voice and audience. Wanting to promote a deeper understanding about kindness in social media posting, Olivia is working hard to be a “mentor tech” for others. Olivia's work on LivBits has been featured all over the world, including conferences in Taiwan, Singapore, and England. She was so excited to be included as a keynote speaker and voice for kids using social media at the Digital Citizenship Summit 2016 at Twitter Headquarters in October. She’s presented with accomplished authors at national and international conferences, including NCTE, ASCD, ISTE, and ILA.

Sarah Lepsevich

Student

Sarah Lepsevich is in her third year of recovery from a soccer-induced Traumatic Brain Injury. She's achieved her goal to graduate with her class in a few weeks while also serving as the investigations editor for her school newspaper. Sarah is now committed to raising the cultures understanding through brain injury awareness and education for student athletes and their families. Currently she is working with Brain Injury Association of Massachusetts, Think Taylor, and Massachusetts Youth Soccer Association.

Sidra Afzal

Student

Sidra Afzal is a senior at BHS. Sidra has been published in the school magazine, Collab, multiple times, and hopes to continue writing, poetry, and art in the future. She wrote her first book in first grade, completed her first novel by 13, and recently published her first book "Wildflowers," a collection of poetry, prose, and art to share her passion through the seasons of life in the shape of poetry. She aspires to combat the negative stereotypes associated with being Muslim, and strives to inspire, empower and be a constant source of positive energy and ambition to those around her. She enjoys painting, Arabic calligraphy, drawing, writing, henna, and doodling on anything she can get her hands on. She states simply, "God made me an artist and the world is my canvas."

Suzana Somers

Technology Specialist - Acera: The Massachusetts Schools of Science, Creativity, and Leadership

Suzana is a Technology Specialist who works on all ends of the academic technology spectrum. As a former educator, she works to inspire teachers and students to feel safe taking risks with the tools available to help find a higher level of success using technology.

Yaju Tuladhar

Student

Yaju is a curious, passionate, and ambitious senior at Burlington High School. As vice president of a plethora of activities-the Student Asian Culture Awareness club, UNICEF, and the class of 2017, Yaju loves being a beacon of guidance, fearlessness, and positivity to others. When she is not balancing her packed plate, Yaju likes to write. Having written for over six years now, she's focused on one novel specifically on the world's largest online writing platform, winning several awards in and out of school in recognition. Her book has fifty million reads online and she has been offered several publishing deals from agencies such as Sourcebooks. Recently, she's signed a contract with Episode, an interactive gaming app that will be adapting her novel. Yaju loves spreading happiness and brightening a person's day. She wants and knows she can make a deep impact in the world, hoping to major in political science and eventually law.

Zach Watson

Teacher/Author/Youtuber

Zach teaches 8th grade math in Lowell. In October he finished his book, Ideas Over Coffee, a collection of 104 ideas he's learned in the post-college world of personal development. He has completed the curriculum for living with Landmark Worldwide and has read or listened to around 70 books in the past 4 years "It's sort of my own textbook for dealing with the adversity that I deal with in my head everyday." He has a YouTube channel for his students, to teach and entertain them with the lessons he doesn't have time for during school, including the video of one of his students giving him an award-winning haircut. He has a bachelors in Engineering from UMass Amherst, and a Masters in Education from UMass Lowell. Zach proposed to his, now, wife after dating for 93 days and has a mathematical explanation for it. He is an avid hiker, origami specialist and poet.