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).

Dan Twisler
108 Stirling Rd
Warren, New Jersey, 07059-5772
United States

Abby Kotar

Abby Kotar is a sophomore at Watchung Hills Regional High School. She is an active member of the Dance Ensemble and plays the flute in Concert Band. Outside of school, she spends a majority of her time at dance class. After freshman year, Abby wanted to step out of her comfort zone and try something new, and this event seemed liked a perfect opportunity. Despite performing on stage for dance recitals and band concerts, Abby has never done public speaking before. She is excited to hear her peers speak and learn from their ideas!

Ashil Jhaveri

Ashil Jhaveri is a senior at Watchung Hills who has been involved in many social justice, political, and debate initiatives. He participates in Model UN, JSA Debate, and Mock Trial. He is also President of Student Government. Ashil has worked on political campaigns where his responsibilities included phone banking, canvassing, and interning. This year, he helped organize the National School Walkout at WHRHS, and along with other students, he lobbied our state/federal politicians to change the gun laws in the U.S.

Jordan Ginsburg

Jordan Ginsburg is a Junior at Watchung Hills. She is involved in multiple school clubs including being the co-founder and co-president of the book club. Jordan especially enjoys debate and political discourse, and she aspires to one day be a lawyer and politician. Jordan’s talk focuses on recognizing bias both in others and oneself, and using that knowledge to become more open-minded in today’s politically divisive society.

Jordyn Arnel

Jordyn Arnel is a junior at Watchung Hills Regional High School. Throughout the past few years, she has developed a passion for health and wellness. She spoke last year at our first event, and we are happy to welcome her back. Today, Jordyn will be speaking about the importance of self-discovery and its ability to empower young people.

Kevin Wittmaack

Kevin (“K.C.”) Wittmaack is a senior at Watchung Hills Regional High School. He loves writing, filmmaking, and playing soccer, piano, and guitar. He is excited to attend the Rutgers University-New Brunswick School of Arts and Sciences Honors Program in the Fall. K.C.'s talk is inspired by his motivation to root out society's ability to cope with a lack of heroism, and he hopes to display this psychological phenomenon through his own artistic passions and personal anecdotes.

Lindsey Shi

Lindsey Shi is a senior at Watchung Hills. While some may find it ironic that someone as perpetually stressed as a high performing high schooler could give a talk about being happy, Lindsey likes to think she’s an exception to this stereotype. She believes that taking care of oneself is most important (and encourages you to do the same), and she plans to bring that mindset with her as she embarks on the next chapter of her life (and every chapter thereafter).

Matthew Canary

Matthew Canary is a senior from Watchung Hills looking forward to studying at Northeastern University next year. He hopes to explore paths in humanitarian services, international relations, and/or civil/environmental engineering. He loves playing guitar, listening to music, taking photos, and running. But, most of all, he enjoys interacting and learning about and from other individuals; he is interested in how to improve his own contributions to the larger community. This evening his talk stems from a long-term interest in how we all understand one another, and he hopes to spark similar reflections about empathy in his audience.

Michael Porter

Mr. Michael (Mike) Porter is a guitar-playing, Shakespeare fanatic who teaches English at Watchung Hills. A graduate of Rutgers University and George Washington University Law School, he advises the WHRHS Mock Trial team. He ran 2017 miles in the year 2017. This year's goal is to run 2018 miles. He lives in Hillsborough, NJ, with his wife Barbara, daughter Emilia, and son Andrzej.

Nicole Bell

Nicole Bell is a senior at Watchung Hills Regional High School. She will be talking about how self love and confidence are important, and she wants to share her experiences and her struggles. NIcole learned how to embrace positivity despite the conflicting messages teen-age girls receive from their families, magazines and the media. Next year she plans on attending Boston University, where she will continue to spread positivity and self love.

Niharika Iyer

Nina Iyer is a sophomore from Watchung Hills who is giving a talk on the importance of youth protest tonight. She is an avid debater and enjoys following politics closely. In her free time, she volunteers at a local autism facility. Two other favorite past times include watching Grey’s Anatomy and cooking.

Spencer Acciarito

Spencer “Ace” Acciarito is a shared-time Junior at WHRHS and SCVTHS, where he participates in the theatre-arts acting program. He is known for giving himself nicknames and talking about himself in the third person. He enjoys writing political satire, and he calls himself a stand-up comedian even though he hasn’t performed a standup routine in like 2 ½ years. Spencer is an outspoken critic of terrorism. He wants to be a stand-up comedian when he’s older, but his parents may have other ideas.