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).

Saint Francis High School
1885 Miramonte Avenue
Mountain View, California, 94040
United States

Alexander Chang

Student

Alexander Chang is a junior at Saint Francis High School. In addition to being a speaker at this year’s TEDx event, Alexander is also a board member of the SFHS Global Issues club and co-captain of the school’s debate team. He has spent much of his high school career developing his passions for advocacy, especially in regards to healthcare. Outside of school, he teaches debate classes for younger kids and enjoys spending time with his pet cat.

Amulya Aditham

Student

Amulya Aditham is a senior at Saint Francis High School where she is co-captain of the Speech Team and Student Leader of the South Asian Student Association. Passionate about medicine and its impacts on the world, she will be going to UCLA as a Human Biology and Society major. In her free time, Amulya is constantly cooking and baking and she enjoys bringing her baked goods to school to share with all of her friends. In her talk, Amulya faces her fears about being vulnerable in order to help other people through the mental health journey they face.

Anika Bastin

Student

Anika Bastin is a junior at Saint Francis High School. She has been involved in social justice initiatives since she was young, especially because of her interest in debate. Through this involvement, she realized that current forms of feminism tend to be tragically exclusionary, spurring her to seek a more holistic version of the movement. In her free time, Anika enjoys knitting and crocheting, writing, reading about the latest news, and playing with her dog. Through her talk, she aims to define a form of feminism more opening to every person who seeks equality for all people.

Jad Salahieh

Student

Jad loves spending time with his family and wants to help make the world a better place.

Joseph Sherman

Student

Joseph Sherman is a senior at Saint Francis High School. In his free time, Joseph loves to run, write creatively, listen to classic metal and alt rock, and watch historical documentaries. He also enjoys both digital and film photography, reading graphic novels, and watching Jeopardy! with his family. His heart is set to one day become a writer and director of original films, as well as draw his own concept art and storyboards. Joseph's talk comes from his passion for film, appreciation for storytelling, and love for the stories that have inspired him the most. Starting with and moving beyond his talk, Joseph aims to deliver more meaningful and emotional stories to mass audiences.

Leo Vagnati

Student

Leo Vagnati is a senior at Saint Francis. Aside from TEDx, he is a player on the Varsity Soccer Team, a rage cage captain, a board member of the Surf Club, and a member of the Liaisons to the board of directors at Saint Francis. In his free time, Leo loves to express his creativity by making music and running a creative collective called “Consumed by Sound."

Louis Chavey

Student

Louis Chavey is a senior at Saint Francis High School. Outside of school, he teaches python coding classes and works a part-time job at a boathouse. In his spare time, he also loves to windsurf, watch coming-of-age movies and TV shows, take naps, play water polo, and listen to music (preferably full albums).

Lucy Coyle

Student

Lucy Coyle is a senior at Saint Francis High School. She participates in Varsity Cross Country and volunteers at the Stanford Blood Center. She became interested in TEDxSaintFrancis after attending the 2020 event and became excited to share her own talents at such an amazing sharing of student ideas. Lucy values the strong sense of community fostered at Saint Francis, and looks forward to creating a talk that welcomes all who participate in and attend TEDx. In her free time, Lucy enjoys painting, drawing, surfing, hiking, and going to the beach with her friends. Lucy is thrilled to be involved in TEDx this year and hopes to help create a memorable and meaningful event!

Marisa Lewetzon

Student

Marisa Lewetzon is a sophomore at Saint Francis High School. In her free time, she loves to read novels, and watch movies such as Star Wars and Marvel. She is an avid 80’s rock listener, Led Zeppelin being her favorite band and Jimmy Hendrix her favorite musician. At school, she is a part of the Saint Francis JV softball team and is a part of the women of BRIC club. She plans to travel the world and hopes to not let anything stop her. In her talk, she hopes to inspire listeners to not let fear stop them from reaching their true potential, and to understand the thoughts of “What if...”

Nitish Gourishetty

Student

Nitish Gourishetty is a junior at Saint Francis High School. Inspired by his family’s involvement in technology and medicine, he is drawn to opening a world of new possibilities, immersing himself in a realm of engineering and biotechnology. In his free time, he loves doing Robotics, reading books, playing the guitar, and spending time with family and friends. With his experiences, he hopes to inspire others to find their identities and explore their passions.

Olivia Vinckier

Student

Olivia Vinckier is a sophomore at Saint Francis High School. Her hobbies include traveling, spending time with friends and family, hiking and listening to Taylor Swift. Through her involvement with the National Charity League, she has developed a passion for helping others locally and beyond. She drew inspiration for her TEDx talk from working on a research project over summer about multiracial identity development, and critical racial experiences in childhood that can affect mental health. In her talk, she discusses the social construct of race and ethnicity as a whole.

Ritika Arora

Student

Ritika Arora is a sophomore at Saint Francis High School. She takes part in the JV school golf team and in various styles of dance. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, traveling, watching Netflix, and advocating for pediatric cancer. She loves to spend time with family and friends. In her talk, Ritika hopes to reflect on some of her setbacks that put her on the journey to discovering the idea of personal benchmarks. She wants to emphasize leaving behind the universal standards and the importance of taking individual experiences into account when setting goals.

Shean Tabayoyong

Student

Shean Tabayoyong is a senior at Saint Francis High School. During his free time, he likes to play basketball, hang out with his friends, and be with his family. Being a first generation college applicant, Shean embraces the ability to go outside his comfort zone and be comfortable being uncomfortable. Shean understands how others are afraid of taking risks and wants to bring light to embracing it, rather than being afraid of it.