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).

Shaker High School
445 Watervilet Shaker Road
Latham, New York, 12110
United States

Aarya Kaushik

As any museful 16 year old, Aarya is earnestly working to figure everything out. Of course, she has a little help; the transcendentalist works of Rilke, the impassioned compositions of Debussy, Grey’s Anatomy. She is fond of dreams, Coldplay, and tea.

Elizabeth Bernardini

Elizabeth Bernardini is a competitive figure skater and skates year-round, six days a week for about 3 hours a day. She is extremely passionate about reading, writing and world history. She hopes to provoke the interesting moral question about revenge and its justification through the sharing of her family’s story.

Hannah Thukral

Hannah Thukral is a Senior at Shaker High School. She is an avid reader and writer, whose favorite books include A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, and Lincoln in the Bardo. She can almost always be found in the Writing Center, where she helps other writers express themselves. She is the co-president of the English Council and hopes she embodies its ideals of fostering a love of English in her community.

Hannah Wang

Student

Hannah Wang is the founder and lead organizer of TEDxShakerHS. She enjoys the arts and loves working within her community, and is passionate about UNICEF. She hopes to provide some insight into things she learned from volunteering at Pyrun House, Troy Art Center, and creating her own art summer camp, titled “Picasso Jr.”

Ivy Miah

Ivy Miah is a junior at Shaker High School, who in her career, has taken actions to work for the better of humanity, her community, and school. She is a three-year state championship member of the National Speech Club, aspires to provide motivational support to anyone who crosses her path and has quite the eye for learning anything new such as Neuroscience. Fashion and art have made a great statement in her life as she is an online influencer as well.

Kayla Na

Student

Kayla Na is a junior here at Shaker. She’s been apart of the Empire State Youth Orchestra program for the past 5 years, a member of her school’s Speech and Debate team for two years, and is the co-founder of the current TEDxShaker club. She enjoys listening to music and reading psychology articles music online.

Makayla Barnes

Makayla Barnes is a senior at Shaker High School, and a big fan of literature, art, and writing. She did ballet for twelve years and hopes to continue after high school. She is an intersectional feminist, with a primary focus on wealth and class-based oppression across the spectrum. She hopes to impart on to all of you a better understanding of the complex history of the feminist movement, how we as individuals in the modern era can be productive and well-rounded activists.

Marie Miller

Student

Marie Miller is a junior here at Shaker. She is an artist, a runner, and a traveler, and she is passionate about Women’s Empowerment and Human Rights. She is excited to be here, and she hopes you gain a little something from tonight. Here is Marie with “On Finding Magic.”

Maryam Ahmad

Maryam Ahmad is a junior here at Shaker and moved here from India in sophomore year. She is an avid reader of fantasy and science fiction, a writer, and loves music. She will be speaking about how she adapted to the many changes in her life, and how she learned to embrace them.

Sabrina Salam

Sabrina Salam has written many short stories and plays, even having one performed at the Capital Repertory Theater, on social issues. One summer Sabrina read books to refugee and immigrant children at an organization called RISSE. She discovered harrowing stories from students and teachers, which compelled her to learn more and give a voice to those largely unheard.

Varun Mondaiyka

Varun Mondaiyka is a Junior at Shaker High School. He is a storyteller who has performed in prestigious stages like the Clearwater Festival, Old Songs festival and ‘Proctors Theater’. He was interviewed by the ‘Times Union’ for bringing about cultural understanding through storytelling. Varun coaches at Children at the Well, an interfaith youth story circle. In addition, Varun has an avid interest in engineering and is part of Robotics, as well as volunteering at MiSci and multiple camps to foster the interest of STEM in others. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his family and dog, Buddy, and curling up with a good book.

Zairah Ahmed

Zairah Ahmed is currently in her junior year at Shaker High School. She is a strong human rights advocate, president of Shaker UNICEF club, has a great love for books, hopes to visit all of the world, enjoys badminton tournaments, and has quite of a sweet tooth.