Theme: Square Pegs In Round Holes

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).

Oakridge International School
Khajaguda, Telangana
Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, 500032
India

Amita Gondi

Amita Gondi, Asia's number one junior squash player gets talking beyond her game. The former national level swimmer decided to drop her prosperous swimming career and pursue squash from scratch. A senior at Oakridge International School studying in the Science stream, Gondi manages to find the time to maintain her academic excellence at school despite her strenuous schedules on the squash circuit and remain consumed by wanderlust for over a decade.

Anish Alluri

Anish Alluri is a High School Senior from IISH who is passionate about waste management. He has worked with multiple schools and households from Hyderabad and aims to spread the message about the necessity of waste management through open dialogue and deliberation with students and educators.

Krithik Chitla

Krithik Chitla is a high school senior in CHIREC in the Science Stream with Economics of CBSE. As Head Boy for his school, some of his most recent work includes changes in the school, especially with regards to the decision making between teachers and students, and newer proposals for clubs and teams. Putting aside school, he has been working with kids at a shelter for school going boys who are orphaned. His interactions extend from just teaching, and he generally just talks and plays with them. It's fun. He have done multiple internships in the past as well, and have worked at multiple institutions whether it be a start-up, a Multi National Corporation or a Private Think tank. Krithik plans on majoring in Political Science and Economics after high school.

Rachana Komatireddy

Rachana Komatireddy is a senior in high school, doing International Baccalaureate at Oakridge International School. As a mental health rights advocate, she's given several talks and makes optimal use of her personal social media to make sure the conversation doesn't die down. In her own words, we have to "keep going, keep striving for better. keep working so we don't let the 1 in 4 down" In her free time, you might find her discussing philosophical theories such as this one, or penning the first chapter to a novel she'll probably never complete.

Smita Jain

Smita Nair Jain is currently the Senior Divisional Vice President at Sears Holdings India Pvt. Ltd - an offshore division of the 141-year-old American retail giant Sears Holdings Corporation. Before joining Sears, she was Chief Operating Officer at Barclays. Prior to this, she has been in global executive leadership roles with leading international brands such as Capita, MphasiS, Prudential, and Accenture. She is passionate about meeting and interacting with young people and understand the changing times through their present lives and interests. She is passionate about developing the youth of this country and is a mentor to multiple start-ups and is a key speaker at many startup events. She is a popular speaker in campus circuits and has been invited to speak at various IITs, IIMs, NITIE and TEDx events. She was also awarded the Linkedin Power Profile for the years 2015 and 2017, once for technology and the other for Finance - a rare feature, to be awarded this prestigious title twice in three years. She is a voracious reader and is particularly fond of the works of contemporary Indian authors. She also writes and has to her credit numerous published articles, the first of which was published in a leading English daily when she was in class 9. She loves Indian classical music, is a mother to Bheem- her 5-year-old Cocker spaniel and a weekend wife to her cinematographer husband.