Theme: Recess

Recess. You know we all miss it. This year at TEDx, we want to bring back the memories of running in the playgrounds and childhood joy. With speakers talking about upcoming technology, and others taking a deep dive into what it means to be in a friend group, you're sure to walk away knowing more. If those aren't up your alley, we have other speakers taking a more abstract approach through exploring entrepreneurship, storytelling and the medical field. Join us on April 1st to spread stories that ring nostalgia.

Singapore American School
40 Woodlands Street 41
Singapore, North East, 738547
Singapore

Avni Varshney

Cliques and Cults

Sophomores at Singapore American School (SAS), Michelle Chang and Avni Varshney became friends through the National History Day (NHD) program in 8th grade. Both of them display an aptitude for public speaking, having taken (and are currently taking) active roles in the public speaking community at SAS through Forensics and Model United Nations. They also share keen interests in exploring sociology and human psychology, which inspired the contents of their talk. The idea of exploring the dynamics in different social groups through looking at cliques and cults arose from their personal experiences in being part of social circles and interest in human psychology. Taking their joint NHD experience as inspiration, they identified that these social groups often form due to common interests and people’s desire to have a sense of belonging.

Evelyn Kim

Host

Evelyn Kim is currently a sophomore at Singapore American School. All her life, she has had a love for public speaking. From presentational summatives, to giving speeches, public speaking has been one of her main interests throughout her life. When high school came rolling around, she used her public speaking skills to the best of her ability, trying out for every leadership position she could. Luckily, she was able to land a spot in the Student Council as well as officer positions in TASSEL, Metta Home, and GirlUp. When she saw the chance to audition to become a TEDx host, she jumped at the opportunity. Fortunately, she got the spot. Outside of TEDx, you can find her working in the Student Council, teaching Cambodian students, burying herself in homework, and obsessively taking photos of her dog.

Mekaael Kazmi

Young Entrepreneur

Mekaael Kazmi is a junior at Singapore American School. American-Pakistani, Mekaael was born in Brooklyn, New York, and shortly after, relocated to Dubai. Currently, he lives in Singapore, where he cultivated his passion for Basketball. The time he spent playing basketball on the court, however, began to inspire him off the court as well, where he was initially exposed to the realm of the sneaker industry. Subsequent to learning more about the multifaceted sneaker industry, he developed a passion for reselling, a market he’s not only infatuated with but, is an avid participant of. His reselling journey has inspired him on the court, in the classroom, and in the real world, where hopefully, he can educate others about what it takes to become a successful entrepreneur. His own illustrative experiences, combined with his goal to destigmatize the negative stereotypes associated with entrepreneurship, can be learned about on April 1st.

Michelle Chang

Cliques and Cults

Sophomores at Singapore American School (SAS), Michelle Chang and Avni Varshney became friends through the National History Day (NHD) program in 8th grade. Both of them display an aptitude for public speaking, having taken (and are currently taking) active roles in the public speaking community at SAS through Forensics and Model United Nations. They also share keen interests in exploring sociology and human psychology, which inspired the contents of their talk. The idea of exploring the dynamics in different social groups through looking at cliques and cults arose from their personal experiences in being part of social circles and interest in human psychology. Taking their joint NHD experience as inspiration, they identified that these social groups often form due to common interests and people’s desire to have a sense of belonging.

Renee Phan

Host

Renee Phan is currently a sophomore at SAS. It was around the fourth grade when Renee was recommended a TED talk on YouTube regarding American foreign policy - sparking her interest in both public speaking and international relations. Since then, she has spent her Saturday mornings listening to TED talks on a wide variety of topics to start her day. This is her first time co-hosting a TEDxYouth event, and she is extremely excited to work with this fantastic team of curators, managers, and speakers! Outside of TEDxYouth, you can find Renee giving back to the community as apart of the Executive Service Council, working with delegates in Model United Nations, organizing her Google calendar, and sipping strawberry green tea lemonades at Starbucks with friends!

Rohan Panday

Organ Market

Rohan Panday, a junior at the Singapore American School, believes that the current system of organ transplantation around the world is in dire need of reform. While he acknowledges both the stigma surrounding market systems and the moral implications of such a system, he does believe that it is perfectly realistic and viable. Rohan was born in New York, USA, and like many third culture kids, he has lived in the US, UK, Switzerland, India, and now Singapore. Rohan’s interest in the economics of organ transplantation is newfound but was inspired by the work of an expert in this field who is also a professor at UCEMA and the University of Chicago. In his free time, you can find Rohan reading novels about Einstein’s dreams, playing squash, singing Italian arias, collecting NASA merchandise, or rewatching episodes of The Big Bang Theory. In the future, Rohan hopes to continue advocating for the merits of this idea while also pursuing engineering, the sciences, or applied mathematics.

Sarvesh Agarwal

Virtual Reality

Sarvesh is a 9th Grade student at the Singapore American School. He grew up in the United States and has always been curious about his surroundings and what he can do to help. In his free time, he enjoys playing tennis as well as learning about the human body and messing around with robots and electronics. These passions of his led him to think about the ways we can combine the fields of technology and medicine in order to improve both. He landed on the idea of VR and how it can actually have so many uses outside of the gaming industry. This led him to give a talk about the use of VR in healthcare and how that can be beneficial. In his talk, he will talk about the different ways VR can be implemented into healthcare and how it can help not only patients with pain but even doctors such as surgeons with their training.

Vanessa Chan

Singapore American School Senior

Vanessa Chan is a senior in Singapore American School that loves to write and speak. She is frequently found writing late into the night, playing the piano, or preparing for Model United Nations. Alternatively, you might find her geeking out with friends about anime, books, or professional figure skating. Creative writing has been the central puzzle piece in her high school experience, and has given her the creativity and communication skills that allowed me to chase after various experiences. Her passion for sharing the joy of creative writing with the student body is the driving force of her TEDx Talk. High school writing assignments often err on the side of restriction, however, she firmly believes that more creative freedom should be offered to students in writing assignments, giving them the freedom to explore their own world and perspective.