Theme: This is Me

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).

Moreau Catholic High School Teves Theatre
27170 Mission Blvd
Hayward, California, 94544
United States

Aaron Ugalde

Student

Teens are going through many things in their life and Aaron Ugalde wants them to know that they’re not alone. His experience with depression made him realize that he is not alone in this battle. He wants to inspire others to seek help, talk about their depression, move forward, or to go out in the world and help those who are in need of support even in their darkest times.

Adan Nevel

Student

Adan Nevel is a senior at Moreau Catholic and is very involved with programs held in and outside of school. He is a part of the football, theatre and dance program. He is the president of the Hispanic club here at Moreau, ‘Nuestra Gente’. He hopes to continue his passion for writing in college in order to one day become an author. He is devoted to lifting up others in and inspiring his peers to find the strength to balance seemingly opposing passions.

Aidan Arnold-Galati

Student

Aidan Arnold-Galati is a senior who will be attending King's College London majoring in law next year. He has been on Varsity Mock Trial as an attorney for four years, winning awards at the county, state, and national level. He has a particular interest in the public defender crisis and wants to be one when he graduates law school.

Alex Nguyen

Student

Alex left his home in Vietnam for better opportunities and a shot at an independent life, but ended up experiencing a self-realizing journey with his identity as a gay teen. On campus, as President of the International Student Council and Tabletop Gaming Club, he strives to inspire a culture of inclusivity, where people’s differences are welcomed and highlighted. He is passionate about environmental justice and is majoring in Material Science and Engineering in college with the hope to make a difference on the planet, but he will forever hold his connection with the LGBTQ+ community close to his heart and continue to be an advocate for their recognition and justice.

Anaya Mosby

Student

Anaya has always been interested in law and justice coming from a background with two criminal defense attornies as parents. In the future, she hopes to enter into a career in the criminal justice field herself, possibly as a forensic psychologist, but for now, she hopes to continue to learn, inspire and bring awareness to social justice topics in which she feels passionate. She is extremely thrilled and honored to be able to mix her two passions, dance, and criminal justice, to provoke the thoughts of many.

Angela Izzaray

Sergeant in School Resource Officer Unit

Sergeant Angela Irizarry is a 13-year veteran of the Hayward Police Department. Sergeant Irizarry rose through the ranks of the Hayward Police Department starting her career as a Crime Prevention Specialist. At age 32 years old, she decided to become a Police Officer. As a sworn officer, she worked assignments as a patrol officer and a district command officer in the community policing program. In 2018, Sergeant Irizarry began her special assignment in the School Resource Officer Unit. Currently in this assignment she oversees the School Resource Officers assigned to middle and high schools in the Hayward Unified School District, including Moreau Catholic High School. As SRO Sergeant, her assignment has led her to mentor youths and collaborate with school administrators in providing a safer school environment. Besides her duties as a Sergeant in the SRO unit, Sergeant Irizarry is also the department’s Peer Support Coordinator, Mentor, and Recruiter.

Angelica Graybeal

Student

Angelica Graybeal is a 17-year-old of mixed race - half-Filipino and half-Caucasian - who is living between two worlds. She is a Link Crew Leader, involved in the Pilipinx Student Association, the Secretary-Treasurer of Asian Dance Club, and is involved in the dance and art programs at Moreau. She will talk about the stigma surrounding mixed children and how its damaging effects can influence their behavior, their views of their cultures, and themselves. Angelica’s talk also covers how she and many other mixed children often face the difficulties of fitting into multiple cultures, while still standing as one single person. She is passionate about her talk because it is something she faces every day, and she has found that there are not a lot of conversations around the topic.

Anya Khatri

Student

Anya Khatri has been actively involved in positions of leadership and business through student government and DECA. She has also been a member of the school dance program for all four years. Being a woman in a position of leadership continues to be a challenge for many, and she hopes to highlight her experience and empower others to break the societal barriers that come with gender stereotypes. She hopes to continue to inspire young women to speak up and act out against the these stereotypes that are still prominent in today’s society.

Asha Sudra

Teacher, Professor at University of San Francisco

Asha Sudra has been featured on the cover of Content Magazine, is a feature at many of the prominent poetry events in the Bay Area, as well as active speaker, emcee, and performer at numerous rallies and marches for civil and human rights. Asha was the focus of a recent short documentary by KQED ARTS. She was given the Hank Hutchins award by the Santa Clara County Alliance of Black Educators for supporting and advocating for black youth. She is actively training educators across California on equitable practices and building student agency. She is certified as a facilitator through Teaching Tolerance. Her dream is to establish her own K-12 school rooted in restorative justice and social justice based standards. Asha consistently uses her platform to voice out against injustice and to speak up for those who have been marginalized and silenced for centuries.

Audrey Kibanoff

Student

Audrey Kibanoff is a senior at Moreau Catholic High School. She is a member of the Varsity Rally Squad, Social Justice Leadership, and the Vice President of Relay for Life Club. She also volunteers frequently at St. Leander Parish as a Catechist teacher’s aid. After high school, she is planning to attend college, and major in Nursing. Her ultimate goal is to continue her passion to help others.

Clarissa Guevarra

Student

Being apart of the Social Justice Leadership Program at Moreau Catholic High School, senior, Clarissa Guevarra, expresses her devotion in being a catalyst for change through her campaign, PERIOD @ Moreau Catholic HS (a movement to end menstrual poverty and stigma), and volunteering and leading retreats for her previous elementary school. She finds passion in the social justice issue of beauty standards through her experiences as a Filipino woman, as well as being a makeup enthusiast. She is speaking out about the dangers of Asian beauty standards, and expressing the importance of individualism. She combines her own personal journey and struggle of defining personal beauty against the media's failure to advocate for self-love.

Fiana Yeh

Student

Fiana Yeh is currently a senior at Moreau Catholic High School. She is active on campus as the founder and president of the Taiwanese Club and a member of Honors Dance. After graduation, Fiana plans on pursuing a degree in Psychology. Through sharing her journey of poor mental health and recovery, she hopes to open up the conversation regarding mental health, encouraging destigmatization and emphasizing the importance of the healing process.

Justin Firmeza

Student

Born and raised in the Bay Area, Justin Firmeza has held a continuous role as a pianist and drummer at his local church, Holy Spirit in Fremont. Since arriving at Moreau Catholic High School as a freshman student, Justin has become an inspiring leader through his acts toward advancing the music scene in the community. One of his notable feats was co-producing Moreau Catholic’s 2018 Close to You album with his mentor, Patrick Landeza. He wrote 4 songs on the album. Justin’s motivation and passion has led him to his calling as an educator, composer, and performer.

Maria Charles

Student

Maria is a senior at Moreau Catholic High School, where she is a Co-Vice President for DECA and a Co-President for the American Red Cross Club. Outside of school, she is actively involved with the International Tamil Academy by volunteering as a Teacher’s assistant for the High School Credit Program. Her experiences with setbacks in achieving her goal have given have inspired to share the need to embrace setbacks and failure as stepping stones to success. She is passionate about science and serving her community. In the future, she plans on studying chemistry and pursuing a career as a physician.

Neha Mandhani

Student

Neha Mandhani is a senior at Moreau Catholic High School and has been an active participant within the Mariner community. She is involved in the band program as a flute-player, is a member of DECA, and plays badminton. She's decided to take part in the annual TEDx event to bring to light the impact that a lack of representation and negative stereotypes can have on people with Indian heritage. She hopes to bring awareness to these issues and encourage cultural promotion through the recounting of personal stories and experiences.

Ruchi Kamboj

Student

Ruchi is a senior at Moreau Catholic High School. She is passionate about helping others succeed, as she is the president of the National Honors Society, a tutor who helps others with homework, and an employee at Kumon to guide children to become self-learners. She plans to study Bioinformatics in college and will continue to pursue her interest in the field of medicine. Strongly challenging the unjustified Indian stereotypes, Ruchi believes that Indians are misrepresented in the media and wants to reach out to others through this TEDx event.

Victoria Cava

Student

Victoria Cava is passionate about exploring space because she will be majoring in Aerospace Engineering in college, and wants to help find a sustainable way of life for humans. Her talk is about exploring the space around Earth so we can eventually send humans to space to live on Mars. She says, "Since we are on the path to making Earth inhabitable, we need to find a more fool proof solution to keep humans alive. I believe that solution is to move some people to another planet, and Mars is the most promising place."

Vincent Mascarenas

Student

Vincent Mascarenas is a member of Moreau Catholic's Campus Ministry Leadership Team, Varsity Volleyball, and the Pilipinx Student Association. As a member of Campus Ministry, he believes it’s essential for him to use his platform to speak on his experience as an LGBTQ+ Catholic to other people. He believes that the discussion of the LGBTQ+ community in the context of religion is often overlooked and ignored. He hopes that through his talk people will begin to have open conversations about such topics in order to understand one another and accept each other for who they are.