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).

The American School in Japan
1-1-1 Nomizu, Chofu-shi
Tokyo, Tôkyô, 182-0031
Japan

Aaryan Kumar

Student

Aaryan Kumar is a junior at ASIJ, and this is his fifth year at ASIJ. He was born and raised in Tokyo. In his free time he listens to music (hip-hop, jazz, r&b), plays the drums, watches films and wrestles.

Joe Llamzon

Student

Joe is a Senior at ASIJ. He was born and raised in Singapore before moving to Tokyo in the summer of 2020. In his free time, Joe enjoys playing music, creating films, and sharing ideas through the power of storytelling. In the future, Joe hopes to write and direct feature-films. Joe views the world with emphasis on forgiveness, and would love to share his view and experiences with others.

Joey Schulz

Student

Joey Schulz was born in Austin, Texas but has lived in Tokyo for most of his life, while attending the American School In Japan. Some of Joey's interests include baseball, reading, guitar and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. In the midst of the COVID 19 pandemic, Joey found himself constantly overthinking the past, and trying to guess the future. In his talk, Joey will explain how beginning Jiu Jitsu, and the philosophy of Carpe Diem has taught him to seize the day, the moment, while giving minimal thought to the past or future. Joey hopes that in sharing his experience, viewers will walk away with a newfound gratitude for the present, and values to maximize the enjoyment of staying there.

Kenzo Tanaka

Student

Kenzo Tanaka is a freshman at The American School in Japan. Kenzo was born and raised in Tokyo, Japan. Prior to attending an international school from the sixth grade, he spent six years at a Japanese public school. When he was in third grade, Kenzo encountered the personal turmoil of not being able to attend school due to the mental stress he experienced throughout the parent’s divorce. In his speech, Kenzo discusses how taking counseling helped him overcome the challenges and how counseling could profoundly affect people’s lives. Kenzo acknowledges the stigmas that are disgracefully associated with counseling, evidently preventing people from seeking help. He believes taking counseling should not be treated abnormal, yet it is a “hidden secret” that we should all normalize.

Moeka Sugiyama

Student

Moeka is a Junior at the American School in Japan. She grew up in London and Hong Kong, and moved to Japan in freshman year of high school. In school, Moeka enjoys playing field hockey, and is involved in the SAGE club (Students Advocating for Gender Equality), and the English Circle club (which aims to remember the 2011 Tohoku Disaster). She is interested in topics such as mental health, climate justice, and gender equality, and specifically what they look like in Japan. While people often talk about finding their life purpose, Moeka believes that purpose is something we build rather than find. In her talk, she explains what purpose is, and why it can be valuable to everyone. Moeka shares how she built purpose by working towards gender equality in Japan, and encourages everyone to build their own purpose through the issues they care about. Through her 4 steps, she hopes that more people can live a more purposeful life, to create greater hope for our future.

Momo Horii

Student

Momo is a junior at ASIJ. For her TEDx talk, she will analyze the bell curve of confidence by asking: Why do we lack confidence as we get older? And are there consequences when our timidity get’s in the way? She’s interested in helping the ASIJ community strengthen their knowledge of confidence because she believes it’s the fundamental element for success.

Sam Quade

Student

Sam Quade is currently a junior enrolled at the American School in Japan. It is the 6th school he has attended, as his father’s occupation requires moving every few years. This is the second time Sam has lived in Japan, having previously lived here from ages 4 to 8. His interests include theatre, exercise, and anything interesting that he can make time for, while a certain dislike of his is planning.

Zayne Gladsden

Student

Zayne is a sophomore in his fourth year at ASIJ. He is American and Canadian with Indian and Eastern European heritage. However, he has never lived in those countries, as he was born in Japan and has moved to Austria, Australia and South Korea as well. Zayne is a talker. On stage from a young age in musicals, plays, giving speeches or participating in Model UN, Zayne likes to express himself. Passionate about music, he plays the drums and guitar and loves listening to rap and the Foo Fighters. Zayne is most at home on the basketball court, or talking about basketball, or watching basketball. When he’s off the court, he loves to run, weight train and box. Most of all Zayne loves to laugh. Michael Scott from The Office and Phil Dunphy from Modern Family make him laugh out loud; today through his Tedx Talk he will illustrate why laughter is a superpower.