Theme: Remaking My World

The theme of this year's TEDxKDISchool talks centers around the idea that individual action can reshape one's own environment.

KDI School of Public Policy and Management
146 Jangjae-ri, Geumnam-myeon
Yeongi-gun, Chungcheongnamdo, 30149
South Korea

Abel Shelton

Student

Abel Chukwu Shelton is a current graduate student at KDI School of Public and Management-the 3rd of 5 siblings, and born and raised in Liberia, a small country on the West African coast. A mid-career risk management and compliance professional, he has dedicated much of his career to supporting and promoting voluntary compliance in both the private and public sectors of his country’s economy. He has ensured this while working with his country’s Revenue Authority, commercial banks, private organizations as well as with other local and international humanitarian organizations. Aware that corruption and bad governance have immeasurably contributed to his country’s underdevelopment, driven by the desire to change this narrative, and riveted by development initiatives, he established ABTORO Management Services Inc., a small business aimed at bridging the poorly served outsourced industry in Liberia, while offering compliance and audit training to prospective university graduates.

Hai-young Yun

Professor

Prof. Hai-young Yun currently serves as the Managing Director of the International Cooperation & Capacity Building Department at KDI School of Public Policy and Management in Sejong, Korea. She is the Head of the GDLN Global Secretariat, which has its origins in the World Bank and is a global network of knowledge sharing organizations. She sits on the Regional Board of Directors and Regional Academic Council of the Regional School for Public Policy in Guatemala. As one of the founding members of KDI School, Prof. Yun has accumulated over 20 years of experience in international development training and teaches courses on policy presentation and communication. Prof. Yun holds a graduate degree in public policy and public administration from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) and her Bachelor’s Degree from Wellesley College.

Hajeong (Effy) An

Student

Hajeong An is currently studying at KDI School for a master's degree in public policy. She worked for the Korea Consumer Agency, a public institution, to promote consumer rights. She represented the United Kingdom at the Model UN General Assembly in 2015, and has a career as a supporter of the Foreign Ministry. She loves traveling and has traveled to about 25 countries, so she can speak five languages: English, Spanish, Chinese, French, and Korean. She is currently focusing on data science and the SDG project of the United Nations. Now, she runs as a representative by creating clubs in related fields, and works as an academic and freelance interpreter.

Ibtissam Harakat (KimMiso)

Influencer / Model

My name is KimMiso, and actually my real name is Ibtissam (잎티삼) and Ibtissam means smile. That's why I chose Miso as my Korean name. And the funny thing is that I'm more famous as 'KimMiso' in Arab countries than Ibtissam. I'm from morocco, a north African country. I am a model and an influencer here in Korea. I also represent the Ambassador of Morocco, and some other Arab countries here in South Korea. I started my YouTube channel to show the Arab world the beautiful side of Korean culture, language, and people.

Jay Yeon

Video Producer

I am Jay from the YouTube channel JAYKEEOUT. I create content about cultural differences, diversity and try to spread good vibes with the videos I make. I have worked as a producer at DINGO, a viral content company in Korea, and have worked in many different content scenes such as music videos, digital content, and so on. Through my YouTube channel, I try to spotlight the hidden / ignored social issues in a way that people will actually get to know them. I believe the best way to convince people is to show them what they like with a little pinch of the message I try to portray. Using social experiments and interviews as my main content, I try to get people involved in the issues that are easily ignored. I’m trying to spread good vibes through videos at the moment but my goal is to expand this movement into other forms of content in near future.

John Atoyebi

Student

I am John Kehinde Atoyebi, a Nigerian. I bagged my first and second degrees in Law and I was called to the Nigerian Bar. I am a Public Affairs Analyst, a social commentator and grassroot mobiliser. I am also a human rights activist and I have attended several human rights trainings in prestigious institutions including the Centre for Human Rights, Pretoria and the Lucerne Academy for Human Rights Implementation, Switzerland. I was actively involved in the Not-Too-Young-To-Run Movement, a group of politically-conscious youths that influenced the reduction of the age of eligibility to contest for elections in Nigeria, prior to the 2019 general elections which gave more room to the youth to contest in the election. I am interested in how to drive innovation and Sustainable Development in Nigeria and Africa.

Joshua Merfeld

Professor

Josh Merfeld is a development economist who is interested in applied microeconometrics, labor markets in developing countries, and poverty. Some of his previous and ongoing research looks at labor productivity and wages, agriculture, structural transformation, poverty, and public works programs. He is particularly interested in how market failures affect household and individual resource allocation decisions. Prior to joining the KDI School, Josh worked at the Robert F. Wagner School of Public Service and New York University. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Washington.

Paul Zarate

Student

Paul Zarate is from Ecuador. His parents gave him the name in honor of Paul McCartney, the Beatles’ star, as they wanted him to be as successful as a rock star. After 30 years, Paul believes that he has surpassed his parents’ dream since he is successfully happy. Paul’s passion is to learn, understand people and life, and share his knowledge to make the world a better place. Besides, he likes to explore and innovate. He always wonders why society should follow the same patterns; ‘what if we change our habits and spread positivity to tackle humanity’s issues?’ Paul started as an entrepreneur when he won a national contest for innovative business ideas at the age of 21. Without realizing it, his business idea was related to climate change. After that experience, he decided to learn about industry and international trade, so he started his career in the public sector as an analyst in the Ministry of Production of Ecuador.