Theme: What Is Normal?

This event is organised by four senior IB students from Raha International School. Due to the pandemic, the TED TALKS will be safely pre-recorded and posted on our website and the official TEDx YouTube channel for people to watch while practicing social distance.

Raha International School
Khalifa City 'A', Al Raha Gardens
Raha International School
Abu Dhabi, Abū Z̧aby, 000
United Arab Emirates

Faisal Nawaz

Medical Student

Faisal is a fifth year medical student at Mohammed Bin Rashid University Of Medicine and Health Sciences in Dubai. He is passionate about growing beyond his role as a medical student. He loves to explore the overlap between various fields through innovation, leadership and lots of curiosity!

Minal Iftikhar

DP Student

Minal Iftikhar has always had a strong passion for spreading awareness on global issues. Her skills as a writer first surfaced when she won a school award for her speech that discussed the value of education. She later went on to have several of her poems published by the University of Maine, with the most prominent poem being an analogy that criticized how politicians didn’t give proper attention to urgent social issues. During her high school years, her speech on the relationship between identity and happiness won her the Maine State Speech and Debate Championship for 2020 in her respective category. As a passionate writer but also a lover of people, her works challenge what she deems to be the unjust and prejudiced aspects of the current socio-political climate.

Muhammad Hassan Ali

DP Student

My name is Muhammad Ali, and I am senior in high school fascinated with the study of the profound. I believe that understanding the methods in which humanity defines progress by looking at our history through different lenses allows us to gain a deeper understanding about the nature of ourselves, the (ab)normality of existence, and our relationship with the rest of the universe. I hope to share that understanding through my talks, and hopefully allow aspiring philosophers to want seek knowledge and discuss the nature of reality, in a way that will allow themselves to see the history of us in a nuanced perspective, and hopefully learn more about themselves in the process.

Riya Jahangir

DP Student

Hi! I’m Riya, a senior student with a burning passion for defending human rights. I believe equality and inclusivity are the cornerstones of humanity, and as much as society has evolved to become increasingly tolerant in recent years, there is still a substantial amount of work to be done. I hope to inspire other youth around the world to amplify the voices of those who have been silenced and make a positive contribution to their community. As Martin Luther King once said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere”.

Tamanna Khan

DP Student

Hi, I’m Tamanna! I am a spoken word poet based in Abu Dhabi just trying to make sense of our, at times, questionable reality. My talk will cover my exploration of identity and language as an Indian Muslim women. I will be exploring how shaving my hair was a culmination of my personal experiences living outside the ‘norm’. I believe humans are remarkable people- each filled with unique creativity bound to various mediums. I implore you to retain ownership of the creative activities you take part in and to share your story no matter it’s popularity or proximity to the ‘norm’.