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).

Saint Francis High School
1885 Miramonte Avenue
Mountain View, California, 94040
United States

Aanika Patel

Aanika Patel is a senior at Saint Francis High School. She enjoys various outdoor adventures, spending quality time with her family and friends, and trying new recipes for her family to try. In her TED talk with Sarah Moran, she will share the benefits of sustainable eating habits on the environment, immune system, and mental health. Aanika is excited to immerse herself in a new setting next year at college and foster more friendships.

Ava Goumas

Ava Goumas is a junior at Saint Francis High School. Through her involvement in the National Charity League, she has developed a passion for serving her communities, including Saint Francis and the greater Bay Area. Ava is intrigued by all things neuroscience, coffee, and Harry Styles. She plans to pursue her interests in teaching and competing in dance in college, as well as majoring in neuroscience. In her talk about her experiences as an assistant dance instructor and Magical Bridge volunteer, Ava hopes to illustrate how understanding nonverbal communication makes us more empathetic and compassionate.

Carsten Rawls

Carsten Rawls is a senior at Saint Francis High School. He is involved in groups on campus such as the Black Student Union and Athletic Counsel. He is also a three-sport student athlete who competes in wrestling, football, and track and field. Carsten loves to travel and has been to over 35 counties and lived in three different countries during the course of his life. He drew inspiration for his TEDx talk from his experiences as an avid traveler and others’ perception of what different cultures are like and stereotypes they may hold. Carsten hopes to bridge the gap between travel and true immersion of another’s diverse culture.

Carter Adair

Carter Adair is a freshman at Saint Francis High School. His hobbies include, writing, skiing, listening to music, and watching movies. One of Carter’s favorite things to do is write. Ever since Carter was a little kid, he’s had a passion for writing and storytelling. Throughout elementary school he self published three novels and a children’s book and has shared his writing with his community. In his TEDx talk, Carter plans to share this writing journey and explain how impatience played a huge role in getting him where he is today.

Cheli Pezoa

Cheli Pezoa is a senior at Saint Francis High School. Her hobbies include spending time with friends and family, playing with her corgi, trying new foods, and learning how to do yoga. Being a first generation child of parents with two very contrasting cultures, she has struggled to find her way to “fit in” while growing up in the United States. Throughout her life she has encountered many situations in which have shaped her to become the individual she is today. Her hope is to spread awareness of how important embracing diversity is as well as inclusion of all backgrounds.

Eliana Shin

Eliana Shin is a junior at Saint Francis High School, where she is an editor for the newspaper and Mindframes. Outside of school, she works part-time at a tutoring center and enjoys expressing herself through music, performing as principal cellist with the Peninsula Youth Orchestra. In her free time, Eliana loves to read crime novels, play cards, and edit funny videos. She drew inspiration for her TEDx talk from working with DNA sequencing and cell engineering technology, as well as her experiences as a Catholic. This intersection sparked her interest in moral philosophy in relation to life science. Eliana hopes to bridge the gap between traditional values and modern ventures in health science.

Isha Karim

Isha Karim is a junior at Saint Francis High School in Mountain View, CA. An avid student of life, she is always searching for the next thing to learn. Currently, she spends her time reading, solving anagrams, and watching documentaries, although the occasional sitcom slips in. As a self-proclaimed email addict, she drew inspiration for her talk from her experiences with double standards in email etiquette. Her hope is to show how sexism in the workplace manifests itself even in the unlikeliest instances: punctuation.

Julia Bocian

Julia Bocian is a senior at Saint Francis High School where she enjoys playing for the school’s soccer and field hockey teams as well as being a board member of the Unity Dance Club. In her free time, Julia loves to surf with her friends, play with her Goldendoodle, and listen to Hamilton. As a person who has immersed herself in varying activities her entire life, she has realized the importance of balancing multiple interests and finding new outlets. In her talk with Nick Wietzel, Julia hopes to shed light on the value of living a life of many passions.

Mallika Reddy

Mallika Reddy is a senior at Saint Francis High School in Mountain View, California. As a young South Asian woman growing up in America, Mallika noticed the lack of accurate portrayals of South Asians in film and television. She wants to bring attention to the lack of representation and the misrepresentation of South Asians in her talk. In her free time, Mallika enjoys playing tennis, watching The Office, and walking her dog. She hopes to influence everyone to notice the effects film has on our beliefs and inspire South Asians to feel more comfortable in their own skin.

Matthew Tran

Matthew Tran is a sophomore at Saint Francis High School; a place he likes to call “his haven.” He is involved in a slew of activities at Saint Francis, ranging from the arts to activism. Matthew’s work as an activist transcends the Saint Francis community, as outside of school, he is a member of Sunrise Silicon Valley. He advocates for equal human rights, passionately fighting for justice among all people while raising awareness for global issues. He drew inspiration for his TEDx talk from his encounter with toxic gender stereotypes at his middle school, and how an important figure in his life came to his aid. In his talk, he hopes to address the topic of human creativity and how it bridges a gap of fear in society. Matthew holds a strong ambition to continue his fight for world peace in the social justice field. In his spare time, he is a film enthusiast and is intrigued by philosophy and art.

Menaha Malik

Menaha Malik is a junior at Saint Francis High School in Mountain View, California. Inspired by her experiences as a young woman in India, where issues concerning human rights grew central to daily life, Menaha was motivated to address the prevalence of sexual assault against women, and persisting societal taboos. A lifelong soccer enthusiast, Menaha enjoys expressing herself through writing, photography, and culture. Through her talk, Menaha hopes to convey the importance of confronting personal and societal stigmas to collectively address sexual violence.

Nick Weitzel

Nick Weitzel is a senior at Saint Francis High School where he is on the basketball team and on the ASB. Nick has engaged in multiple activities all his life: he loves to workout, surf with his friends, play the guitar, spend time outside, go biking, and even play chess. Through his experiences, Nick has come to understand the value in having a variety of interests. Nick is excited to give a talk about this importance with his best friend Julia Bocian, who is also his active surf buddy. Together they will explain how powerful it can be to act on curiosity of all sorts.

Sarah Moran

Sarah Moran is a senior at Saint Francis High School in Mountain View. Sarah started to make changes to her life to be more eco-friendly, after educating herself more about the climate crisis in early 2019. The biggest change she has made so far is switching to a pescetarian diet and then switching to a vegan diet later on. Sarah loves to spend time outdoors whether it is on long hikes at Edgewood Park with friends, or watching the sunset at the beach. In the future, she hopes to help people make changes in their diets to be more sustainable, and travel as much as possible.

Steven Head

Steven Head is a junior at Saint Francis High School in Mountain View, California. Inspired by his lifelong experiences in a vast array of sports, he is full of competitive spirit and has a deep love for the role teamwork and teammates play in his life on and off the field. At Saint Francis, Steven has become involved in running, lacrosse, and other various communities that can be found in the campus life. In his free time, Steven loves to golf, spend time with friends and friends and family, and travel to never-before-visited destinations locally and globally. By sharing his talk, he hopes to shed light on the importance of strengthening the mind and the application it has to the lives of everyone.

Trisha Menon

Trisha Menon is a sophomore at Saint Francis High School in Mountain View, California. In her free time she likes to spend time with friends and family, bake, watch movies, and play soccer as well as lacrosse. Trisha enjoys the experience of visiting new places and embarking on adventures. Her talk actually stems from an incident that occurred during one of her travels. She has come to understand the misconceptions that go along with scars, which is the inspiration behind her talk. Trisha hopes that her story will help others overcome what they perceive as an imperfection.