As the first Anaheim Union High School District (AUHSD) occasion of its kind, TEDxKennedy High allowed student speakers from across the district to explore the theme of “What Shapes Us”. At the event, held on Apr. 2, Oxford students seniors Nathan Troung and Theodore Vang as well as freshmen Niha Goel and Connor Osilla wrote and presented speeches, while sophomore Daniel Lee worked as the event’s Master of Ceremonies.
A well-established high-school program, The TEDx event was brought to fruition after Kennedy senior Kaela Suan was inspired by a similar event at the Orange County School of Arts. According to the TED website, TEDxYouth events are one of the “most creative TEDx event types, since they are organized by or catered towards young people…these events are all about imagination and having fun.”
After the idea was approved by administration, Suan worked with Kennedy psychology teacher Ms. Christine Helton, the event’s advisor, to select the topic.
“I always knew the [theme] was going to be very broad so students could talk about anything,” Suan said. “Out of all of the themes, I wanted a theme that could really connect the students’ passions”
All AUHSD students were encouraged to apply as speakers as the event was publicized.
“I heard about the event through the TedxKennedy Instagram–honestly I am not one hundred percent sure on how it popped up on my feed, but I am so happy it did. It has always been a bucket list goal of mine to do a Ted Talk, so when I saw it, I submitted my speech and got selected. This felt like a stepping stone to try and speak at a national Ted Talk arena, something I still hope to achieve within a few years after graduating high school.” freshman Niha Goel said.
Speakers were selected based on the effectiveness of their connection to the theme and call to action. TedX events are not competitive, and, according to Suan, speaker workshops for this event generally included peer-review and other collaborative strategies.
Students’ practice culminated in their presentation towards an audience of AUHSD district members, teachers, family, and students. Due to the broad nature of the topic, speeches ranged from pieces about increasing confidence to an exploration of the environmental impacts of the American lifestyle.
“I learned so much, not only from going through the speech process myself, but by being able to listen to everyone else’s inspiring speeches. It is so inspiring to be part of a district that can not only provide events like these, but have an overwhelming amount of speakers that are willing to give a speech themselves.” Goel said. “I also got to meet so many people throughout the district, even at Oxford, that I probably would have never talked to. This experience was definitely once-in-a-lifetime — at least for my current lifetime— and I am so happy and proud to be able to have partaken in it this year.”
