Theme: The Essence of a Changing World

TEDxCentennialHigh is a unique event that aims to educate the Centennial High School community about the effects of an ever-changing world. Our eight speakers and two workshop leaders hope to change the perspective of their audience through talks ranging from the possible "second space war" to the discrimination women experience in the workplace. The event is limited to 100 audience members.

4300 Centennial Lane
Ellicott City, Maryland, 21042
United States

Adam Goldstein

Student

Adam Goldstein is an aspiring entrepreneur and computer scientist, recently focused in web development. He started keeping a list of business ideas in freshman year, many of them web-related. Especially since then, he has explored new, interesting methods of monetizing ideas, and hopes to eventually start a business. When not doing schoolwork, Adam enjoys playing percussion, participating in Mock Trial, and, of course, programming.

Brendan Hlibok

Student

Brendan Hlibok is a junior at Centennial High School. He loves math and engineering and, as of now, seeks to pursue a career in Aerospace Engineering. He is passionate about sports and plays on the football and lacrosse team. He is the hearing child of two deaf parents and has grown up among two different cultures: the hearing and the deaf. Throughout his life, he has been exposed to the different experiences of people with disabilities which has inspired him to explore the ways in which humans can move towards a more accessible and equal world for everyone.

Caio Goolsby

High School Student and Concerned Citizen

Born on an island in Brazil, he first moved to the United States when he was three years old. Now a student at Centennial High School, he has spent the last six years studying International Relations. With all of the global crises that have been crowding the news cycle in the past years and months, from climate change and deforestation to Iran and Brexit, he instead has focused on one that hasn't gained as much attention: the "Second Space Race." His TEDx talk will focus on why our solar system will become the next field of warfare and why we should be concerned about the consequences.

Calvin Lee

Artist

Calvin Lee swore that he would never go to art school -- art was just his hobby. Unbeknownst to himself, he was lying. Only two years ago he decided to dedicate the rest of his life to the visual arts. Was this sudden change of mind latent passion or just the paint fumes getting into his head? He will be sharing the story of how he discovered and persevered in his passion for art -- how a weekend hobby turned into his hopes and dreams.

Emily Kim

Student

Emily has always been interested in intersectional theory, particularly in applying this lens to global issues to better understand how gender and culture conflate to result in unique forms of discrimination. This year, she had her first experience entering the political workplace at her internship, where she realized the relevance of intersectionality extends to the changing power dynamics and gender constructs young women face in pursuit of a career. Emily will discuss how the digital age has impacted our ability to cope with moments of discomfort, and how we can affect change at an interpersonal level. At school, Emily advocates for girls’ rights as co-president of Girl Up and promotes civic engagement as co-captain of mock trial.

Farah Helal

Student

Farah is a conscientious and effervscent individual who leads in her community as the president of the Muslim Student Association, the Pre-Med Club, and the Book Was Better. In the past year, Farah has presented to thousands of people about her research on academic stress and students mental and physical health. She has also represented Centennial High School at several HCPSS Superintendent advisory meetings and currently serves on the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Advisory Council aiming to diversify school staff and decrease bias in the curriculum. Motivated by her peers and personal experiences, Farah hopes her talk emphasizes the importance of accurate representation in schools and the curriculum.

Hibah Khan

Student

Hibah Khan will be speaking about how from an early age people are taught to rely on others to think for them. As a senior with pressure to have her life plan figured out, she realized that she is confined to one option for her future: college. Interested in changing the socially accepted definition of success, she believes people should plan their future with the intention of being happy.

Natalie Knight-Griffin

Student

Natalie Knight-Griffin is a Centennial senior speaking on the issues of post consumer waste and plastic consumption, specifically in Howard County. She is the editor-in-chief of content for Centennial’s paper, the Wingspan, an intern at Mount Hebron Nursery School, and a volunteer at Grassroots shelter. She plans on pursuing journalism or Early Education at the University of Maryland. Over the past two years, she has researched the extent of plastic pollution in our community, and the steps we must take to fix it.