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).

York School Gatanaga Theatre
9501 York Road, Monterey, CA, United States
9501 York Road
Monterey, California, 93940
United States

Courtney Hand

Student Speaker

A self proclaimed procrastinator, Courtney perpetually lives her life up until the last minute. In fact, she’s most likely writing this very sentence right before it’s due. Despite this, she’s a perfectionist by nature and performs well under pressure, which is probably the only reason why she has managed to survive high school. When she’s not procrastinating, her schedule is jam packed with leading Activism Club, an after school Model UN program at her middle school alma mater, or trying to educate herself on the plethora of issues in this world we call home.

David Oliver

Student Speaker

David is fascinated by instruments, to say the least. His family tries to keep him away from the music store in fear of losing him or going broke. He is in the jazz band and concert band, as well as the Honors orchestra in Youth Music Monterey (YMM). He plays trombone, ukulele, and the drum set. On the weekends, you can find him in the forest, building trails and mountain biking.

Giordana Rock

Community Member & Alumna

Giordana studied Communication in college, and like many, stumbled into a career in tech. Early in her career, she was hired as the first woman in IT at a tech company in their 30 year history. She now leads a team of solution engineers at Salesforce—a technical field still dominated by men. She has a unique perspective on being the first, the only, and what true gender equality and inclusion means.

Joyce Sherry

York Faculty

One of Joyce Sherry’s lifelong dreams is to be a contestant on Jeopardy! Although she has gone through to the final audition, she’s never been called to appear—at least, not yet. Joyce believes that she is constantly recreating herself. She started her professional life as an actor, director, and playwright, appearing in scores of productions, directing dozens of others, and collaborating with the great Ray Bradbury to adapt his novel Something Wicked This Way Comes for the stage. Her second incarnation as a York teacher and Dean of Students has been one filled with learning, challenge, and joy. Currently, her path is leading her to be certified as a personal coach, taking her love of working with adolescents to the next stage. Joyce credits mindfulness, two cats, two dogs, and her family with keeping her sane.

Sameer Bakhda

Community Member

Sameer Bakhda is an emergency physician at the Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula, and has been a California native his whole life. When he’s not caring for patients or running his physician group, he loves traveling (well, when we can get back to it!), as well as carving turns on fresh powder with his family.

Seth Madden

Student Speaker

Seldom having any free time due to the inability to say “No,” Seth can be found in a variety of places. Whether he’s strategizing with alliance members at robotics competitions, getting kills at volleyball tournaments, or practicing three different instruments to prepare for upcoming concerts, Seth is always doing something. And he is pretty good at what he does, receiving recognition for his achievements in each activity. If you manage to track him down, he likes to spend whatever time he can between activities sharing his experiences and knowledge. But be careful, because once he starts, he can continue talking for hours.