Theme: Politics of the People

This year Nueva’s TEDx club is putting together our annual conference in March. In a world where sociopolitical issues are both divisive as ever and becoming increasingly ingrained in our lives, we want to learn from people like our speakers who can help bring some clarity to this complex world and turn us toward a brighter future. Our theme is “Politics of the People” and we are featuring six incredible speakers ranging from members of our student body to budding neuroscientists. Our event is from 10am to 2pm and open to the public! If you have any questions you can contact us at anymotw@nuevaschool.org and noozarr@nuevaschool.org

The Nueva School
131 E. 28th Ave.
San Mateo, California, 94403
United States

Charlotte Rosario

Innovator & Founder of The Community Photobooth

Charlotte Rosario is a high school sophomore at The Nueva School. Charlotte set out on a path of healing by helping others after losing a family member to suicide at 12 years old. In 2020, she founded The Community Photobooth, a nonprofit organization using photography to raise funds and awareness for invisible needs around the world, and has since raised over $30,000. Last year, the organization helped relaunch Ending the Silence, a high school mental health education program, at the National Alliance for Mental Illness and created a youth mental health documentary, It’s Time We Talk About It, that was featured on the Drew Barrymore Show. The Community Photobooth won the National Alliance for Mental Illness’s Community Partner of the Year award for 2022. In addition, Charlotte is a strong believer in community-based action. She organized San Mateo County’s 2022 open mic for mental health storytelling, and, in 2023, was inducted into the George Culores Mental Health Hall of Fame.

Colin Chu

Health Advocate & Student

Colin Chu is a student at The Nueva School, who focuses on having a positive impact on communities. He has addressed the health inequities of Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) through both science and policy. His original research to identify biomarkers to diagnose liver cancer was recognized by Broadcom MASTERS National Competition Fair Top 300 in 2022. In addition, in partnership with Stanford University, Colin lobbied both the California Senate and Assembly for transformative state legislation which resulted in Governor Gavin Newsom signing a new law requiring primary care physicians to offer every adult an HBV test in 2022. In addition, Colin has worked with local communities and is a co-founder of Homeless Heroes.

Grace Yao

Vice President of Research at the Nielsen Company

Born and raised in Beijing, China, Grace has been curious about what people think since she was a young child. She went to Journalism School at Fudan University in Shanghai and became an investigative journalist soon afterwards. While her childhood dreams came true, she didn’t feel like the picture was full so decided to study in the U.S. to understand people’s opinions in a more scientific way. After graduating from the S.I. Newhouse School Of Public Communications at Syracuse University, she became a market researcher and has been researching media and people’s opinions since. Currently, Grace is the Vice President of Research at the Nielsen Company with a focus on how campaigns over media can impact people’s brand perceptions. Grace lives with her husband and two children in the San Francisco Bay Area. Her passion both inside and outside work is cultivating lifelong learners and living a purposeful life.

Olivia Chiang

Founder of Let’s Talk Unite

Olivia Chiang is a student at The Nueva School. Struck by the severe polarization plaguing our political system, she founded the nonprofit Let’s Talk Unite in 2021 to raise awareness about polarization’s ramifications and transform the way we approach political discourse. She leads local workshops on identifying bias and manipulation, designs open-source conversation guides, and hosts a podcast featuring interviews with leading researchers concerning the intersection between polarization and corporate interests, vaccine hesitancy, and religious identity. Olivia is also dedicated to promoting positive educational experiences for all students. While volunteering with the nonprofit 100 Days of Conversations, she studied 100+ conversations on youth education and co-presented at the National Department of Education and Assessment for Learning Conference. Long term, Olivia aspires to conduct transformative research that disrupts our echo chambers and reshapes our politics.

Valentine Chirokoff

Ph.D. Student

Valentine Chirokoff is a Ph.D. student studying neuroscience at Paris Sciences Letter University. After a master's degree in Neuropsychology at Bordeaux University she was awarded the EPHE doctoral grant to conduct transdisciplinary research on the cerebral and psychological factors of relapse in addiction. She offers to combine the latest advance in brain imaging and psychological testing to better understand how our brain's activity can shape our functioning and our behaviors. Her promising preliminary thesis findings led her to collaborate with researchers at Stanford University to further investigate brain lesions consecutive to addictive behaviors. She is currently completing this research at Stanford Research Institute International and received a Fulbright prize and a France Stanford center for Interdisciplinary study fellowship. She hopes that someday her work could permit new translations into the treatment and prevention of addiction.