Theme: 2020 Vision

Students, two faculty members and two keynote speakers give their talks linked to the theme of "2020 Vision". This is a high school TEDxYouth club organized by and for students, produced by students for the community. This is our fifth event and our first virtual event. Topics range from how to be a good person, to why sharks are vital to the ecosystem to election reform.

Laura Hollis
147 Chestnut Ridge Rd
Saddle River, New Jersey, 07458
United States

Alanis Diaz

Alanis Diaz is a sophomore in her first year at SRDS. She loves playing basketball, reading, watching movies, spending time with friends and family, fishing and cooking. She is a member of the girls basketball team and plans to play basketball in college. She hopes to have a career in U.S. intelligence (law enforcement). She is very excited to give her first TED talk.

Alice Shu

Alice is a sophomore in her third year at SRDS. She loves reading, drawing and writing. She spends her spare time on theater and roller skating. Alice enjoys the process of exploring mysteries and summarizing common rules from things. Giving her first TEDx talk to the public is a challenge to Alice, but the desire to share thoughts and enrich life experience motivates her to demonstrate the phenomenon she observed and explain it by words and visual examples. Her talk takes place around the common logic bias and how it affects everyone’s lives in silence.

Brandon Tucker

Brandon Tucker is a sophomore at SRDS. He is the creator and president of the marine biology club, as well as a ski instructor at Stratton Mountain in Vermont. He loves playing video games, skiing, fishing, practicing wildlife photography and talking with his friends. He aspires to be a marine biologist with a primary focus on sharks and rays. In his talk he will be discussing the fear of sharks as well as the importance of sharks to underwater ecosystems and how they can be preserved.

Cheyenne Haller

Cheyenne is a sophomore at SRDS who loves to dance, be outdoors, learn about politics, and hang out with family and friends. Cheyenne is a Rebel Leader, Rebel Ambassador, and the secretary of the executive student council. She works at her dance studio in Waldwick, N.J. to help teach dance classes to young dancers. She competes in all styles including ballet, jazz, contemporary, and musical theater, although her favorite styles are hip-hop and tap. She would like to be an Imagineer at Walt Disney World and would love the opportunity to perform in a few shows while she’s working in Disney. She looks up to many professional dancers and is inspired by her father and her mother, whom she would like to thank for their support. She would also like to thank Eli, Mrs. Hollis, and Mr. Becker for working so well with her in organizing this event. This is Cheyenne’s second talk and she hopes that the information can help you maintain a more relaxed lifestyle.

Deonté Warren

Deonté L. Warren is a Broadway performer, concert singer, and voice teacher. At Saddle River Day School, he was a consultant and Assistant Director for the spring musical. In his free time, Deonté enjoys reading, television and movies, anything with great storytelling. In his talk Deonté will explore the merits of socialization. Specifically, he will explore when it’s beneficial to forget some of what we learn in order to discover our true identity, what makes us unique and special. Not only to celebrate whatever those traits are, but also to be willing to share them with the world!

Eli Weinger

Eli Weinger is a sophomore in his second year at SRDS. He is interested in history, politics, and the improvement of social welfare in the United States. Eli spends much of his free time at school after hours as a soccer player, the manager of the boys basketball team, a student council member, and a Rebel Ambassador. Outside of school he has recently begun interning for Mondair Jones, a congressional candidate in New York’s 17th district. One day he hopes to effect change through government and views his second TED talk as one important part of his journey to this goal.

Isabella Webber

Isabella Webber is an eighth grader in her first year at SRDS. She loves to play tennis, practice piano, and listen to music. She was part of the Robo Rebels club and the girls Middle School tennis team. She is currently taking a Mini-TED course, in which she has prepared her first TED talk. This talk discusses her experience with lucid dreaming and how it can lead to many benefits. Isabella is excited to give her first talk this year and share her ideas.

Jen Maylath

Jen Maylath is a teacher and coach at SRDS. She loves to run, bike, swim, stand-up-paddle, and hike with her two sons. In her spare time, she voraciously consumes podcasts of all kinds and enjoys playing with her gigantic Irish Wolfhound puppy, Seamus. Jen is excited to give her first TED talk this year and share the power of positive psychology with everyone.

Jeslyn Savage

Jeslyn Savage is a sophomore in her third year at SRDS. She has played the piano for ten years and loves listening to music, watching movies, reading books, and most of all ... writing! She has been on the Rebel Report staff for the past three years. In the summer of 2019, she participated in a journalism intensive course at Columbia University which fueled her love for journalism even more. She looks up to many professional journalists such as Melissa Harris Perry and Rachel Maddow, but is especially inspired by Mika Brzezinski. This is Jeslyn’s first TED talk and performance and she is so excited!

Joe McMenamin

Joe McMenamin is a history teacher at SRDS. He’s giving a TED talk as a faculty contributor on the history of museums and monuments. These things are commonplace and greatly influence the way we view the past. But they also obscure the past. He has taught world history since 2011 and is currently getting a Master’s in Global and Comparative History from Rutgers University in New Brunswick, N.J. He enjoys running, painting, traveling, and reading.

Jordan Janowski

Jordan Janowski is a senior in her third year at SRDS. She loves to play basketball, be outdoors, and spend time with her dog. She has been part of the basketball team all three years. Jordan will be attending NYU in the fall as a member of the basketball team and plans on studying medicine. This is Jordan’s first TED talk and she is very excited to share her talk with everyone!

Lanna Nawa

Lanna Nawa is the co-founder of Impact Everything, a store located in Providence, R.I., where every purchase makes an impact on a cause. From clothing, tech, and accessories to home goods, the store’s collection of more than 2,000 products supports 12 causes and benefits 55 countries. Impact Everything is the first social enterprise to take people through the entire process of giving, from tag to travel. Change can be made right in the store, online, or across the globe by joining Impact Everything’s yearly volunteer trips, where customers can travel abroad and give back directly themselves.

Natalie Janowski

Natalie Janowski is a sophomore in her third year at SRDS. She loves to sing, paint, and perform for others. Her dream is to become a professional singer and make music. She has performed for the past two TEDx events but will be giving a talk for the first time. She is very excited to be sharing her thoughts and ideas with everyone.