Theme: Inspiring Change

Young people have long been on the forefront of innovation and social progress. From civil rights and environmental justice to education reform and labor rights, youth have consistently paved the way for a more compassionate and socially just world. Under the theme “Inspiring Change,” the aim of TEDxYouth@ChavisWay is to amplify and celebrate young people’s voices, stories, and ideas on the TEDx stage with the ultimate goal of nurturing meaningful youth-led community collaboration and engagement.

Chavis Community Center
505 Martin Luther King Jr Blvd
Raleigh, North Carolina, 27601
United States

Amy Li

Amy Li is a junior at Enloe High School in Raleigh, NC. She is passionate about her culture and plays the zither, a traditional Chinese instrument, as well as volunteers at the Raleigh Academy of Chinese Language as a tutor and leader. In the future, she aspires to work in the health and technology fields and is currently a part of the Raleigh Digital Connectors program and HOSA. In her free time, she enjoys reading, watching crime shows, and spending time with friends and family.

Camila Armas

Camila Armas (she/her) is a senior at Wake STEM Early College High School. She has trained in Hapkido for 5 years and teaches a children's martial arts class. In her free time she crochets stuffed animals to donate to WakeMed Raleigh. She is very interested in the role the government has in our lives and how it can be used to help underprivileged groups and solve the pressing issues of our time. She will use her experience as a House Page and a Lady Cardinal Mentee to discuss the importance of civics education and voting rights.

Courtney Lassiter

Courtney Lassiter is an 18 year old multidisciplinary artist from North Carolina. Inspired by her personal experiences and the world surrounding her, Lassiter plans to study studio art at a university in late 2023. Lassiter wishes to establish the world of art as a worthy career choice for young creatives.

Emily Pirhalla

Emily Pirhalla [emily Pur-halla] (she/her) is a 14 year old who will be starting her freshman year of high school in the fall. She enjoys being involved with her community and currently serves as a Student Ambassador and Reporter for 4-H Teen Council. She truly enjoys public speaking and even placed first at 4-H's Presentation Day. She is currently looking forward to performing as Te Ka in her school's production of Moana Jr. Emily hopes to bring attention to the difficulties and rapid changes that today's youth face.

Genesis Ijeomah

Genesis Ijeomah, 14, is a Nigerian student. She had been disinterested with the realities of how life was going in the fourth grade. This sparked her fascination with philosophy and she began writing about her observations, causing her to write a book,Your Initiative, to share her knowledge with anyone who will listen and reach a larger audience.

Hadi Rahim

Hadi Rahim (he/him) is a 16-year-old Junior from Apex, NC. He is passionate about political science, public policy, law, history, film, and technology. He is very social and good at public speaking. He is passionate about healthcare policy and excited to speak on the issue.

Keertana Ramars Jillella

Keertana Ramars Jillella is an 8th grade student at Heritage Middle School. She is the recipient of the Lemelson Early Inventor Award for her invention “HawkEYE,” which is patent-pending. She was recognized as Top 300 MASTERS by The Society for Science and published in their blog. She’s passionate about sustainability and the future of our planet.

Mili Soler

Mili Soler (she/her) is a sophomore at Millbrook High School in Raleigh NC. She loves both athletics and arts such as design, painting, visual arts in many different mediums, writing (specifically poetry), and is currently in JROTC at her school . She is very proud of her Puerto Rican and Military roots, which have helped shape who she is today. She is very passionate about social justice and how youth can impact change for causes like racial equality, and women’s and LGBTQ+ rights.

Niko Wiguna

Niko Wiguna [Nee-koh Wigoo-nuh] (he/him) is a sophomore at Green Level High School. He eagerly invests his passion and time into hip-hop dance and videography. Fascinated by the minds of youth, he aspires to become a pediatric psychologist. Niko strives to uplift others and help his community with positivity, humor, and confidence.

Nimet Karabulut

Nimet Karabulut (she/her) is a sixteen year old student from North Carolina. She’s a rising junior and is passionate about writing, specifically themes of the human experience be it in prose or poetry. Her work explores familial and social dynamics, religion, and the silent burden of hopelessness. Although she tends toward writing when she turns to art, she paints and draws on her own time as well. She believes through exploring loneliness and despair through art, the isolated people of this generation may come together and find comfort in one another, sparking a sort of hope, after all.

Raily Greca

Raily Greca [ ray-lee ger-e-ka] (she/her) is a homeschooling sophomore in Raleigh, NC who is passionate about climate change, filmmaking, and writing. Having completed many climate action projects, including serving as a teen advisor for the Durham Youth Climate Summit, she is looking forward to discussing how stories will help fight climate change.

Sadie Schaecher

Sadie Schaecher [shack-er] (she/her) is an award winning artist and spoken word poet, working in mental health advocacy. A junior at the Hawbridge school, she uses her personal experiences to bring under-represented issues to light, working to cultivate an educated understanding and make a better experience for people like her.

Sahas Vijayabaskar

Sahas Vijayabaskar (he/him) is a 15 year old freshman living in North Carolina. He has a passion for Zoology and the natural world. His favorite Phylum of animals are Arthropods because of how diverse they are compared to most animal life. Sahas is excited to spread his passion about these underappreciated creatures. Sahas is a boy scout and has participated in public speaking and STEM competitions.