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).

The Masters School
49 Clinton Avenue
Dobbs Ferry, New York, 10522
United States

Audrey Corrigan

Student

Audrey Corrigan is involved in social justice initiatives, plays lacrosse and volleyball, and passionately practices American Sign Language. Inspired by David Foster Wallace’s commencement address at Kenyon College in 2009, she began to engage with consciousness, unearthing her own philosophy, analyzing effective communication and fostering confidence.

Carr (Yijin) Li

Student

Carr (Yijin) Li, is in the tenth grade at The Masters School and is a boarding student from China. Li has taken an active role in math activities including math clubs, nationwide math competitions and math modeling events. His experience of learning both in China and the United States gives him a special understanding of mathematics. He encourages people to have a "math mindset” by always approaching challenges in life logically, creatively and thoroughly.

Clyde Lederman

Student

Clyde Lederman is a freshman at The Masters School. Aside from being fascinated with the vexillological origins of the flag of Nauru, Lederman has long been interested in the history behind every important moment. Lederman has read The New York Times daily for the past seven years, and recently became interested in the stories behind the headlines — particularly those of migrants and the historical factors that have motivated their migration.

Gabriela Seguinot

Student

Raised in the Bronx and educated in Westchester, Gabriela Seguinot has witnessed the effects of racial disparities firsthand and began piecing together the puzzle of race in today’s world. Influenced by friends, family and teachers, she was inspired to join the fight for social justice. In an effort to do so, she has attended social justice summits in New York and Nashville, and started school clubs for Latin American students and the promotion of equal education for women. Seguinot has also worked on political campaigns. She enjoys getting people involved in social justice issues, and hopes that after hearing her TEDx Talk, you will join her.

Julia Levin

Student

Julia Levin loves to create and play music. By day, she is a tenth grade student at The Masters School. By night, she is a fearless blues, rock, jazz and R&B guitarist. After five years of violin instruction, she stopped playing classical music and fell in love with electric guitar and drums. She considers herself fortunate to play with and learn from talented musicians in a wide variety of settings, although she's usually the only female musician in the room. While this doesn’t dampen her enthusiasm for playing or for the profession itself, she finds herself sharing the same disheartening experiences that other women report while attempting to join men on stage. This has sparked her interest in bringing awareness to the need for collegiality among men and women in the music industry. as well as equity and inclusion in all fields where skill and talent are all that truly matters.

Juliette Chollet

Student

Juliette Chollet is a 17-year-old high school student who was born and raised in the Northeast. Following two years of symptoms, Chollete was diagnosed with chronic Lyme disease. She was intrigued by how a disease which has so many adverse effects has such little public awareness. As she began to research the infection in America, she was surprised to learn that the increase in Lyme cases correlates to global warming. Now in remission, Chollet is an advocate for a shift in public mindset towards the earth and the immediacy environmental prognosis’ demand.

Maeve Smith

Student

Maeve Smith grew up in a small town in Vermont, where she attended a small, private middle school. It was there that she first saw self-harm encouragement culture develop inside and outside of the classroom. She watched as a close friend was encouraged to self-harm by her peers and began to do so. After this experience, Smith began to focus on the extreme pain this culture causes, as well as the lasting impact it has on a young mind.

Sophia Forstmann

Student

Sophia Forstmann has always had a passion for sustainability and is a vice president of The Masters School’s environmental club, EFFECT. For the past six years, Forstmann has volunteered, taken classes and interned at the Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture in Pocantico Hills, New York. During her freshman year of high school, Forstmann and two of her peers started the zero-waste initiative at Masters. She was nominated to attend the Washington Youth Summit on the Environment, taking place in June 2019, and will be a delegate for the state of New York.

Sophia Viscarello

Student

Sophia Viscarello has always been interested in learning. Whether classroom learning, learning about a person’s life or even just learning from her own mistakes, she has always considered herself an “information sponge.” Through recent self-reflection, she uncovered the ways in which her struggle with perfectionism has taken the joy out of learning for herself and others. She hopes that by telling her story she can help students, teachers and parents find ways to combat perfectionism in schools and bring joy and confidence back to the students navigating the very system implemented to perpetuate perfectionist tendencies.

Yevheniia Nykonorova

Student

Yevheniia Nykonorova is a sophomore student from Kiev, Ukraine, who boards at The Masters School. Prior to coming to the United States, Nykonorova attended an American curriculum school in the Ukraine, and she spoke different languages at school and at home. When she came to America, she was determined to educate others about her home country, which included sharing her experiences surrounding a series of foreign attacks and protests that took place in Ukraine. Her talk delves into her memories of experiencing war through the point of view of a pre-teen, as well as some of the political propaganda that is used in Ukraine to this day.