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).

Skyline High School
2552 N Maple Road
Ann Arbor, Michigan, 48103
United States

Alex Kulick

Alex Kulick is a junior at Skyline High school. She has been dancing for 14 years, and is currently in the professional training program at Ballet Chelsea. Alex believes arts education is important in schools, and needs to be more available and encouraged.

Alexa Easter

Alexa is a junior at Pioneer who enjoys running and long jumping. She is a board member of Pioneer’s Engineering Club and a volunteer counselor at YMCA Camp Al-Gon-Quian. She loves making ceramic art in her free time and has had her work featured in a regional showcase. When Alexa was 11-years-old, her 8-year-old brother died in a tragic canoe accident. She believes any child experiencing loss can benefit from creative expression and perception regardless of their artistic talent or skill.

Alexandra Halberstam

Alex is a senior at Pioneer High School, where she plays trumpet and field hockey. She enjoys math and science, and volunteers in a lab at the University of Michigan's Department of Pharmacology. She is also socially active, having founded a nonprofit organization, Harmony Works, to bring music to underserved communities. Alex grew up in Ann Arbor and spent a year living in Berlin, Germany. She is interested in exploring how different cultures deal with diversity and choose to remember their past.

Anna Fetter

Anna is a senior at Skyline High School. She moved to the United States less than a year ago. She is interested in the human-dog relationship, and its positive effects on humans. She believes that there is much more to explore about this special bond that has been benefiting us for over 20,000 years.

Ayanna Bell

Ayanna Bell is a sophomore at Skyline High School where she is a lead of the Health and Medicine magnet, a member of the track and field team, and also helps her peers make the school environment more enjoyable. She also enjoys other extracurriculars such as, Student Action Senate, and has recently joined TEDxYouth@AnnArbor. For her TEDx talk, she plans on collaborating with her friend, Peri Patterson to discuss the perceptions of biracial teens.

Caroline Cerilli

Caroline Cerilli is a senior at Huron High School. She enjoys sewing, playing flute in band, and working on tech for Huron Players. In the future, she wants to study communication disorders to ensure more students have access to education regardless of disability. In her talk, Caroline will discuss her experience with Usher Syndrome.

Clara Núñez-Regueiro

Clara Núñez-Regueiro is a junior at Pioneer High School. A first-generation American and third-culture kid having lived in America, Argentina, and Mexico, she is passionate about spreading the global nomad narrative and advocating for immigration. During her four-year stint in Mexico she developed her love for public speaking through various leadership programs, particularly Model United Nations, and she continues this currently as a member of National Honor Society, the treasurer of her school’s Ethics Bowl team, a member of the student council, and Vice President of her school’s Junior State of America chapter. She intends to pursue this passion in the future as an immigration lawyer and activist.

Darryn Davis

Darryn Davis is a senior at Ann Arbor Skyline High School. To him, warm weather is the best weather. He also is passionate about his faith, sports, and spending time with family and friends. He shares a love for many types of music, except for classical. He knows he would not be here today without the guidance of his parents, Darryn and Nicole and the support of his three siblings, Danielle, Devin, and Dominic. One day he hopes to be living on a beach, somewhere. Next fall he will attending the University of Toledo to further his education and to play baseball.

Henry Taylor

Henry Taylor is a 12th grader at Pioneer High School. In his free time, he loves hanging out with friends, going to see good movies, researching politics, and reading. Henry has been a big supporter of the feminist movement for a while now, and he thinks that doing a TEDx talk would be a really cool and effective way for him to throw in his 2 cents as to why everyone, regardless of gender, should be a feminist. Next year, Henry plans on attending American University in Washington D.C. to study communications, law, economics, and government in an interdisciplinary program known as CLEG.

Jordan Tirico

Jordan is a senior at Skyline High School. He is a firm believer in education as a core foundation for economic and social opportunity. He plays soccer, enjoys reading, and is a passionate proponent for night showers.

Josie Leydenfrost

Josie Leydenfrost is 17 and a junior at Pioneer High School. As a Chinese adoptee, she passionate about sharing her experiences growing up. She is interested in studying theatre and sociolinguistics. Her goal in life is to tell stories and promote the idea of being a global citizen.

Julia Ammer

Julia is a junior at Community High School. Outside of school, she enjoys musical theater, piano, and tennis. She is passionate about health and wellness, which includes getting enough sleep. She believes there are solutions to the sleep deprivation epidemic among teenagers and aims to use her talk to raise awareness. In the future, she hopes to pursue a career in medicine and public health.

Logan Perkins

Logan is the founder of the faith club at Skyline High School, which is an open Christian group. He is also in Skyline's symphony orchestra, which drives his love for music. Logan believes that the Gospel of Jesus Christ which changed his life can also change others lives as well.

Madison Burk

Madison Burk is a senior at Skyline High School. Propelled by the idea of making a difference, her passions for social equity and community engagement tied with her experiences with sexual harassment has led Madison to discuss what exactly is catcalling and how can we end it. Her talk was inspired by one of her slam poems “I Am Not A Cat.” Madison is a creator and a collaborator who enjoys the arts, politics, people, and travel. She hopes to create solutions to our world’s challenges through her love for politics and art.

Mallika Kothari

Mallika Kothari is a junior at Skyline High School. She is a member of the Skyline Symphony Orchestra, Skyline tennis team, National Honor Society, DECA, and founder of the Women in Science and Engineering club. She has always been passionate about the environment and wants to spread awareness about its importance.

Michael Pelosi

Michael is now in his third year at Skyline High School. Michael participates in many extracurricular activities outside of school including playing on a travel soccer team and playing trombone with the Michigan Youth Orchestra and the Ann Arbor Trombone Choir. In his talk, Michael hopes to talk more about the T in TED and how it can be detrimental to our livelihood and joy.

Mykah Schaffner

Mykah is a senior at Skyline high school. She plays tennis for the Skyline women’s team, and is also a peer educator with Safe House center in Ann Arbor. She is passionate about educating her community on sexual and domestic abuse, and working as a volunteer providing resources and support to those in need. Her TEDx talk is centered on colorism and Westernized beauty standards and how it has personally affected her.

Nikki Farahanchi

Nikki and Nina are twin sisters. They are both seniors at Greenhills. Growing up in an Iranian immigrant household, Nikki and Nina were raised bilingual with Iranian cultural values. On their summer trips to Iran, They had the chance to grapple with the misconceptions and stereotypes many Americans have about the Middle East and Iran. They hope you get the chance to visit the vibrant country that is Iran.

Nina Farahanchi

Nina is legally blind, but she was not born this way. She wants to share her story in an attempt to normalize disability in American culture. She is a senior at Greenhills School. She is the captain of her cross country and Forensics team and a very involved member of the Ann Arbor community. She is excited to share her message with you!

Omar Hassan

Omar is an 11th grader at Skyline High School. He plays both club and high school soccer. Omar has experienced and witnessed the feelings of having to measure up to other people and believes that no one should or feel as if they have to measure up to someone. This problem is what encouraged Omar to deliver a TEDx Talk.

Peri Patterson

Peri Patterson is a sophomore at Skyline High School. She enjoys spreading joy and happiness throughout her community from volunteering at soup kitchens and participating in school extracurricular activities. Her and her friend Ayanna thinks that it is important to spread awareness about the double standards of being biracial.

Peri & Ayanna Patterson & Bell

Peri Patterson is a sophomore at Skyline High School. She enjoys spreading joy and happiness throughout her community from volunteering at soup kitchens and participating in school extracurricular activities. Her and her friend Ayanna thinks that it is important to spread awareness about the double standards of being biracial. Ayanna Bell is a sophomore at Skyline High School where she is a lead of the Health and Medicine magnet, a member of the track and field team, and also helps her peers make the school environment more enjoyable. She also enjoys other extracurriculars such as, Student Action Senate, and has recently joined TEDxYouth@AnnArbor. For her TEDx talk, she plans on collaborating with her friend, Peri Patterson to discuss the perceptions of biracial teens.

Rachel Rothenberg

Rachel is a sophomore at Skyline high school. She plays tennis and is active in the Jewish community. She loves psychology and sociology and thinks making yourself a priority is very important.

Rayyan Kajan

Rayyan is a student at Washtenaw International High School, she has been to 24 countries, and enjoys traveling because she feels that it allows her to grow as an individual, and explore different types of cultures and people.

Sam Martin

Samuel Martin is both ambitious and tenacious, he works a part time job while being active in Black Student Union, writing and performing poetry at the Neutral Zone and a member of the varsity football team. Sam Martin a previous presenter for TEDxYouth@Ann Arbor and he a is confident young man who believes in the power of words. Samuel Martin is very passionate about spoken word poetry, entrepreneurship and sharing his ideas.

Sarah Milner

Sarah Milner is a senior at Huron High School. She’s passionate about sociology and writing, and plans to study organizational studies in the hopes of becoming a consultant for future business leaders with the goal of helping them increase ethical business practices, diversity, and leadership skills within their companies. When she’s not reading or listening to music, she’s attending meetings for JSA, DECA, and her own club dedicated to the listening and sharing of music. This is her first year speaking at Ann Arbor’s TEDx event.