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

Aarav Sontakke

Aarav Sontakke is a sophomore at Saint Francis High School in Mountain View. He’s been fascinated by outer space ever since a fateful day in a seventh grade science classroom, when he was introduced to stellar evolution (the science of how stars live and die). Since then, he’s enjoyed books regarding astronomy and physics, such as Cosmos by Carl Sagan. In his free time, he enjoys sci-fi books and horror books, and occasionally experimenting with pyrotechnics in his backyard.

Ajay Griffin

Ajay Griffin is a curious and passionate senior at Saint Francis High School. He enjoys playing baseball and football, woodworking, and mountain biking in the Santa Cruz mountains. His talk is inspired by his older sister Shelby who is developmentally disabled. The unique experience has taught him various life lessons and has given him an important perspective on life. Combined with his passion for helping others, Ajay is excited to spread his story with the community.

Anoushka Roshan

Anoushka Roshan is a junior at Saint Francis High School. At school, she is a part of Varsity debate and Science Olympiad. In her free time, she enjoys listening to music, playing guitar, and mentoring and tutoring younger children. She also loves spending time with her family and watching movies, specifically early 2000s rom-coms. She has spent much of her life developing a passion for healthcare by helping out at her family’s clinic.

Durga Moorthy

Durga Moorthy is a junior at Saint Francis High School in Mountain View, California. She enjoys swimming, playing waterpolo, and making fancy coffee at home. Durga loves listening to music whenever she can; she specifically likes jazz and lofi to spark her productivity. Her interests in engineering & design drive her involvement in the Lancer Robotics program as an FRC and board member since 2020. As an avid foodie, Durga runs an Instagram food blog (@durgeatsfood). She is a passionate environmentalist, and loves spending time outdoors with her dog Tobi and her identical twin sister Divya.

Eva Vagnati

Eva Vagnati is a junior at Saint Francis High School, where she participates in Women of BRIC, President’s Circle, and TEDx. Apart from school, she spends her time chasing sunsets, swimming in the ocean’s strong waves, hanging out with her friends, reading good books, and what she affectionately calls “babysitting” her dad and brother. With her talk Eva aspires to inspire conversations within women about developing their own versions of femininity.

Hailey Harris

Hailey Harris is a junior at Saint Francis High School, where she is co-captain of Varsity Pom Squad and member of ASB. She loves spending time outdoors and going on adventures. In her free time, she enjoys driving around with friends and family, backpacking, and dancing.

Hannah Cushing

Hannah Cushing, a senior at Saint Francis High School in Mountain View, California does her best to be a punctual person despite a packed schedule filled mostly by softball. She finds time to herself during her long hours sitting in traffic and listening to Taylor Swift on the way to practice: a skill which she hopes to share with everyone through her talk. Her favorite thing to do is spend time with her dog Percy, and she also loves learning about native California plants. Over the summer, she worked with a local organization on a project involving drought tolerant landscaping. She believes in being a well rounded person, and going with the flow of life. Her plans for the future include playing softball at the collegiate level and following her philanthropic passions for the environment.

Julie Bortolato

Julie Bortolato is a junior at Saint Francis High School, where she competes on the varsity gymnastics and diving teams and is a member of the multi-heritage student union. Outside of school, she enjoys traveling, film photography, and is signed to Wilhelmina Models. In the future, Julie hopes to study the brain and contribute to the field of neuroscience.

Kasper Halevy

Kasper is a junior at Saint Francis High School, where he serves as the co-founder and president of Chess Club and an editor-in-chief of the school newspaper. Outside of school, Kasper enjoys scouting adventures, volunteering with animal rescue organizations, and shooting the philosophical breeze with friends.

Keira Schultz

Keira Schultz is a freshman at Saint Francis. In her free time, she loves to read, play and coach soccer, watch K-Dramas, and take photos. In addition to being a part of this year's TEDx event, she is a part of yearbook club, Saint Francis SportsMed, and newspaper. She loves to spend time in her room listening to music, calling her friends, and bullet journaling.

Krish Sangani

Krish Sangani is a Junior at Saint Francis High School. He spends his free time creating visual arts pieces and blogging about their correlation to important societal topics. He has always been a very curious person, and growing up he would spend days building gliders, modifying bikes, and engineering automatas.

Kyle Nguyen

Kyle Nguyen is a senior at Saint Francis High School. Along with being a 2023 TEDx Speaker, Kyle is a member of Saint Francis Associated Student Body, a board member of National Honors Society, and an athletic trainer at Saint Francis. Outside of school, Kyle is a coach for Holy Spirit Parish Basketball team and likes to lift, bike/hike, and hangout with friends.

Niva Shirsekar

Niva Shirsekar is a junior at Saint Francis High School in Mountain View, California. In her free time, she enjoys playing volleyball with her club team and traveling the world with her family. Her favorite travel destinations include: Egypt, Japan, Africa, and Puerto Rico. It was during one of these trips that her mother began to explain to her the basics of economics and business, fields of study that have stuck with her ever since. At school, she is a part of the track and field team, as well as a member of the improv comedy team, Shakespeare’s Dropouts. A creative and humorous spirit, nothing makes Niva happier than the sound of laughter, so naturally, she loves to perform comedy with the improv team for her local community. The more people laughing, the better! Academically, Niva has a fondness for history and psychology, and has a real knack for languages (she understands 5!). Combining both her experiences of performing comedy and her interest in social sciences, Niva hopes to influence the people around her by helping build community one laugh, one joke, and one smile at a time.