Bios
Our 13 speakers of TEDxYouth@DoyleAve 2018!
Caden Hergott
Age: 12
Grade: 6
School: Mar Jok Elementary
Favourite TED Talk: Shane Koyczan - To This Day
Title of Talk: Reach out - People are not Invisible
Bio: Caden enjoys singing, dancing and being involved with the Kelowna Actors Studio. He recently started learning how to code / program and finds that pretty fascinating. When he has free time, he enjoys spending it with his friends and family. His favourite musical is Alexander Hamilton because the music engages him and its saying that anyone, even an orphan immigrant can leave their footprints and rise up. Caden lives in a family of 6 people with his three sisters and his parents. Caden thanks his family for being so helpful and feels so lucky that he has the opportunities that he has.
Keneisha Charles
Age: 16
Grade: 11
School: Rutland Senior Secondary
Favourite TED Talk: The danger of a single story - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Title of Talk: The Courage to be Seen
Bio: Keneisha is an advocate and activist with a passion for social justice and sustainability. As a queer woman of colour, she holds an especial passion for human rights and supporting marginalized communities. She channels this passion by helping to promote inclusion and acceptance with the Diversity Club at Rutland Senior Secondary school. Her other involvements within the school district and community include the Central Okanagan Public Schools District Student Council, Foundry Kelowna’s Youth Advisory and Action Council, the RSS Wellness Team, and the RSS Interact Club. When she is not busy volunteering, she enjoys reading, writing, and making music.
Ciera Saundry
Age: 11
Grade: 6
School: Anne McClymont Elementary
Favourite TED Talk: It Became Clear in 54 Words - Tracy Cramer
Title of Talk: Let Your Light Shine, Brighten Someone's Day
Bio: Ciera is a kind person and who never gives up. She loves to sing and be close to nature and finds them both calming. There are a lot of physical activities that Ciera enjoys including Irish dance, golf, horseback riding, baseball, tennis, musical theatre, springboard diving and swimming.
Learning new things, reading and creative writing are ways Ciera spends her spare time. People close to Ciera are her Mom and Dad who support her and have helped her learn more about herself. Her contribution to society is that she always smiles at a person as they walk by and finds it can make their day and inspire them to make someone else’s day better too. Ciera's most important value is to always be kind!
Paris Fletcher
Age: 15
Grade: 9
School: Penticton Secondary
Favourite TED Talk: Shane Koyczan - To This Day
Title of Talk: Your Life Counts
Bio: Paris has always been a very active person, she has been on a jump rope team for the past 7 years, which is her favourite thing to do. She goes all over British Columbia for provincial competitions, workshops and demos. Paris also came 3rd in the Kelowna Apple Bowl competition for high jump and loves snowboarding. In addition, she loves to be out with her friends in the summer and working at her job. Paris has a passion for the arts and has won art competitions and even created a mural for my school last year at Skaha Lake Middle School!
Jasmin Gill
Age: 17
Grade: 11
School: George Elliot Secondary
Favourite TED Talk: The 4 a.m. mystery - Rives
Title of Talk: The 21st Century Mood Swing: Temporary Inspiration
Bio: Jasmin describes herself as someone who is funny and who does a lot of thinking. She is involved in leadership and theatre production at school. In addition, Jasmin enjoys solving/reading mysteries and is a huge fan of Sherlock Holmes. She love making new friends and meeting new people but always ends up in the comfort of her own home with a hot cup of tea and a good book. Jasmin's Instagram feed has become what she calls an “accidental aesthetic” due to her growing interest in photography.
Teagan Adams
Age: 16
Grade: 10
School: Heritage Christian Online School
Favourite TED Talk: How Great Leaders Inspire Action by Simon Sinek
Title of Talk: How you can harness the power of momentum to achieve massive success in your life
Bio: Teagan is an entrepreneur, CEO, public speaker, and soon to be author. At the age of nine he raised enough money to build a school in Africa, which sparked his passion for doing good. This passion, combined with his love of Pokemon cards, is what inspired his mom, Chantelle Adams, to challenge him to come up with his own card game with the positive twist of doing good. Teagan was on the national television show Dragons Den with this card game at the age of ten, and has since sold over 650 decks of cards to families and classrooms, as well as started doing assemblies at elementary schools. He is now sixteen years old and just launched another business of his own where he is teaching his fellow youth how to achieve success in their lives, and is currently writing a book about the ten universal principles that anyone can follow to achieve massive success in all aspects of their lives. On top of that, he is starting a program to teach kids how to be successful and make and manage money and be happy and grateful and all around more responsible and better all around!
Tor Broughton
Age: 12
Grade: 7
School: Dr. Knox Middle School
Favourite TED Talk: The whole world will dance - Houston Kraft
Title of Talk: Turning challenges into strengths
Bio: Tor loves football, especially the Green Bay packers, plays piano, speed cubes and flips! Tor also has a YouTube channel, SuperDucky, does vlogs, challenges and trampoline! Tor's been motivated by many people including, Houston Kraft, Justin Trudeau and Tanner Braungardt. "I aspire to do incredible things like they do, and that’s exactly what I’m doing."
Kali Halvorson
Age: 15
Grade: 9
School: Okanagan Mission Secondary
Favourite TED Talk: How adaptive clothing empowers people with disabilities - Mindy Scheier
Title of Talk: Thoughts that can change your future
Bio: Kali recently moved here from a farm in Peace River Alberta. Even back in Peace River Kali was interested in creating a positive impact. She is in grade 9 now and continues to volunteer. Kali spends most of her free time either studying or bringing characters to life by drawing. She love sports and is a competitive person who always strive for her best. Kali's main sport is figure skating, but as she says "I am not afraid to break a nail, as I like to ride dirt bikes and just be a farm kid."
Greta Friesen
Age: 15
Grade: 10
School: Kelowna Secondary School
Favourite TED Talk: How To Skip the Small Talk and Connect With Anyone - Kalina Silverman
Title of Talk: A picture is worth a thousand words, right?
Bio: Greta has lived overseas from ages 3 to 12 in Azerbaijan, China, and Saudi Arabia, and has spent the last few years trying to integrate back into her own culture. On the weekend, you could find her sitting at the kitchen table doing art, testing out new recipes in the kitchen, or lying in her bed with a migraine watching Netflix. In the future, if being a crazy cat lady doesn’t work out, Greta would like to teach art or theater to kids or become an art therapist.
Corbin Kelley
Age: 16
Grade: 11
School: Vernon Community School
Favourite TED Talk: How fear drives American politics - David Rothkopf
Title of Talk: Why it's important for youth to engage in politics
Bio: For three years Corbin has been involved in politics in one way or another. He's had the privilege of job shadowing former Minister of Education Peter Fassbender, MLA Eric Foster and MP Mel Arnold. Out of these experiences he now sits on the BC Liberal riding Association for Vernon-Monashee as well as the Advisory Planning Committee for the City of Vernon.
Hannah Aubichon
Age: 14
Grade: 9
School: Constable Neil Bruce Middle School
Favourite TED Talk: The Happiness Advantage: Linking Positive Brains to Performance - Shawn Achor
Title of Talk: Anything is Possible When People Connect Through Fandom
Bio: Hannah was born in Edmonton, Alberta and moved to Kelowna, BC in 2015. She is a die-hard Harry Potter fan, and also just loves reading books of all kinds. She is actively involved in her church community and loves to serve others. Hannah enjoys writing fiction, drawing, and days at the lake.
Lauren Moody
Age: 17
Grade: 11
School: Okanagan Mission Secondary School
Favourite TED Talk: How Great Leaders Inspire Action by Simon Sinek
Title of Talk: An Unconventional Solution to Climate Change: Empowering Girls
Bio: Lauren is a passionate forward-thinker that strives to create meaningful change in her community, and to inspire others to do the same. She is the co-founder of OKM Sustainability Club and the sustainable social enterprise Mission Roots Cafe, a not-for-profit school coffee shop that embodies the values of consumer choice and individual impact. Lauren is able to draw inspiration and worldly knowledge from her many travels abroad, and is able to implement her learnings at the local level through various different initiatives. She is most passionate about working towards solutions for both environmental and social justice issues, and finds her idols in the likes of Malala Yousafzai and Xiuhtezcatl Martinez, two youth activists that personify her core values and interests. In her free time, Lauren enjoys going for runs with her dog and spending time outside in the beautiful Okanagan Valley.
Skye Noh
Age: 17
Grade: 12
School: Okanagan Mission Secondary School
Favourite TED Talk: How to start a movement - Derek Sivers
Title of Talk: An Unconventional Solution to Climate Change: Empowering Girls
Bio: Skye is a driven changemaker in her community, and aspires to be not only a determined and involved environmental activist, but also a leader who inspires and motivates others. Her past background as a competitive volleyball player has allowed her to heavily value the power of teamwork and connectivity on a grassroots level. Skye is driven by her passion for sustainability and her undying curiosity to solve issues as inextricable as climate change. She is the co-founder of OKM’s Sustainability Club, its subsequent social enterprise Mission Roots Cafe, and is also involved in numerous other youth-led initiatives in and around her community. Skye hopes to pursue a career in business, where she can harness the power of consumer choice to create the change she wishes to see in the world.
