Theme: Unexpected

TEDxKids@SMU is a one-of-a-kind experience and the first ever TED style conference for kids. Middle school students in 6th, 7th and 8th grade from across North Texas come to the Dallas City Performance Hall in the Arts District to engage with big ideas and great conversations.

Dallas City Performance Hall
2120 Flora Street
Dallas, Texas, 75201
United States

Parish Episcopal School NASA Rover Team

The last two years, the Parish Episcopal School NASA rover team has been the only team from Texas to compete in the NASA Human Exploration Rover Challenge held at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, AL. This team made up almost entirely of girls designed and built the rover seen in the presentation. The student rovers are raced around a 3/4 mile obstacle course that simulates the lunar and Martian surface, and collapse to fit into a 5 ft cube. This student driven program is one of many exciting options available to students as part of the school’s PreK - 12th STEM program. The 2015 Parish Rover team was recognized as the most improved high school team and are the recipients of the Neil Armstrong Award for Best Design.

Bobby Thakkar

Bobby has proven to be a visionary and is able to successfully execute on an idea. Bobby is a driven entrepreneur and has developed, designed, and managed web pages, created mobile apps for iPhone, has started large communities for young students, and has co-founded/ founded innovative companies. Bobby is the founder of SecondGen, an organization that gives high school students real world opportunities. www.secondgen.org

Brian Luna

Brian Luna was born deep in the heart of Texas, raised in San Antonio, and had high hopes of playing for the Dallas Cowboys until he learned that size and talent were a deciding factor. He left the Lone Star State to go to the Big Apple where he studied at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy. No, he doesn't sing. After appearing on stages across the city, he ventured into film, television, and eventually writing. Being Latino has pushed Brian to create his own work with the hope of representing his culture in non-stereotypical ways. His play, 7th and Eleventh Dimensions premiered at the United Solo Theatre Festival in 2013 and received the award for Best One Man Show. He has since performed the show for a wide range of audiences from parents to high school students. He was a finalist for the TED Talent Search Salon where he presented a talk based on his life and one man show.

Eliza Pillsbury

When faced with a challenge, Eliza Pillsbury will not back down. Unless it is a sport, in which case she will gracefully leave that particular challenge to a more capable individual. Eliza is a romantic at heart, and is determined to move to France after college. She attends Houston’s High School for the Performing and Visual Arts as a theatre student. She loves Polaroid photography, Jane Austen, experimental theatre, and Wes Anderson films. Anyone who wants to start an argument with Eliza should challenge the literary validity of Harper Lee’s Go Set a Watchman, but only if prepared to encounter Eliza when she gets excited about something. She yearns to explore, create, travel, and tell stories.

Joaquin Zihuatanejo

Joaquín Zihuatanejo is an award winning teacher, an HBO Def Poet, and a World Poetry Slam Champion. Born and raised in the barrio of East Dallas, in his work Joaquin strives to capture the duality of the Chicano culture. Joaquín has been called by critics “one of the most dynamic and passionate performance poets in the country, melding equal parts comedy, poetry, and dramatic monologue into a crowd-pleasing display of verbal fireworks…always thrilling, Joaquín’s hilariously manic presentation is full of compassion and nuance, never sacrificing substance for style, leading many to call him poetry slam’s answer to John Leguizamo.” Joaquín has two passions in his life, his wife Aída and poetry, always in that order.

Katherine Allen

Catalyst Arts Movement's mission is to "Inspire Change. Catalyze Art". The organization was founded in 2014 by Katherine Allen, Cristina Girod, and Angie Reisch. The growing team, who resides all across the country, designs unique apparel to support artists who use their talents to connect communities, eliminate stigmas, and create meaningful conversations. They believe in the power that art has to solve complex social issues and are always looking to broaden their reach and expand their movement. Feel free to contact them at catalystartsmovement@gmail.com or www.catalystartsmovement.org

Lauren Bagwell

Lauren Bagwell graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education from Baylor University, where she now pursues her masters in Curriculum and Instruction. As a freshman at Baylor, Lauren was diagnosed with binge eating disorder and soon after began her journey towards recovery and self-love. Long before her diagnosis, Lauren proved herself as a spoken word poet at local, regional and international poetry competitions. Through her participation in these poetry slams, she discovered the powerful magic and healing of storytelling. Today, she uses her passions for poetry and performance to share her own story and encourage others that they have the right to be seen and the right to be heard. Through her recovery, Lauren has learned that the most important love you will ever know is the love you have for yourself.

Ryan Bones

Born and raised on a family farm in South Dakota, Ryan Bones discovered at a very young age that he had an incredible passion for health, and for helping people become the best versions of themselves. This passion led him to the profession of chiropractic, which he quickly fell in love with. After earning his Bachelor’s Degree in Biological Sciences from the University of Nebraska, Ryan entered Parker College of Chiropractic in 2012. Now only one semester away from realizing his dream of becoming a Doctor of Chiropractic, Ryan sees patients full time as an Intern at the Parker University Wellness Clinic here in Dallas. Upon graduation this December, Ryan will be opening his own family wellness practice to bring new levels of health and healing to the members of his community through specific, neurologically based chiropractic care.

Shaunessy Renker

Shaunessy Renker is a 10th grader at the Imagine International Academy of North Texas in McKinney. She studies violin under Ronald Neal, director of the Dallas Chamber Orchestra. She also plays in her school's jazz band and has participated in fiddle camps and is recording a CD with the festival band of the North Texas Irish School of Music. She has been part of the All Regions Orchestra and has had the opportunity to perform solos with the New Conservatory of Dallas and the Dallas Chamber Orchestra. In her academic studies, Shaunessy plans to take the 10th grade personal project to the next level by creating a website dedicated to the art of violin and teaching underprivileged children weekly at the McKinney Performing Arts Center. In addition to music, Shaunessy enjoys art, photography, and travel.

Tara Connor

In grade school Tara was known as the “Questioning Queen”. Being dyslexic, she had to find alternative ways to gain a deeper understanding of the subject at hand. Which meant asking “Why,” “How” and “What if” until the point of exhaustion. She owes these experiences to the reason why she values the importance of intellectual curiosity and encourages others to engage in this way of thinking.

Trevor Douglas

Trevor Douglas is a 17-year-old singer, songwriter, musician, actor, and science enthusiast from Fort Worth, Texas. Most recently, Trevor made it to the Top 24 on this season’s American Idol XIV. After the show, he spent the summer touring the U.S. and promoting his freshman album, “Sugar Coated Puberty” with the "Trevor D Summer 2015 Better Luck Next Time Tour!" For the last show of this tour, he opened for the American Idol Live Tour in Dallas, TX. Trevor is currently in the studio in Los Angeles writing, recording, and producing his second album. As an actor, Trevor can be seen and heard on ads for the Gaylord Texan, Six Flags Hurricane Harbor, HEB Grocery Store, and Radio Disney; on the Dove nominated CD “What’s Up, Zac?”; in the Texas Bluebonnet Book Film “Webcam”; as well as theater productions with Fort Worth’s Casa Mañana. He has a passion for science and has created a media platform called “Stop, Drop, & Science”.