TEDxSLUHighSchool

Speakers

Speakers may not be confirmed. Check the event website for the latest lineup.

• Alfie Arun

  Student

  Alfie is currently a senior at St. Louis University High School (SLUH). He is a member of Student Council as the Senior Class President, president of the Chinese club, and an active member of the pastoral team at SLUH. He has participated in several Chinese speech competitions in Missouri and at the National level. He won first place titles for the past three years in local competition. While at the National level, participated in the 12th and 13th US Chinese Bridge Speech contest achieving 2nd place and 3rd place, respectively. He volunteers at KEEN and TASK programs, coaching kids with special needs. Alfie is interested in a career as a diplomat or an ambassador. He plans to major in Political Science with a focus on International Relations. He is most interested in going to colleges in the East coast, especially colleges in Boston and Washington D.C. area.

• Alvin Alaphat

  Student

  Alvin is a senior at St. Louis University High School. Currently the leader of the Pastoral Team, he has gone on to start drives that have raised hundreds of dollars for charity and have become traditions within the school. As the President of Spanish Club, he started a service program at Mercy Hospital to help disabled immigrant children from Hispanic countries. He’s also President of the Table Tennis Club and has set up district wide tournaments against other MCC schools. He also participates in NHS, soccer, admissions ambassadors and is on track to becoming an Eagle Scout. Alvin is passionate about technology and has gone on to compete in multiple national competitions where he developed several apps using self taught knowledge that aimed to serve society, one of which SLUH plans to implement in the school. He plans to attend Santa Clara University, a Jesuit University in Silicon Valley, where he plans to study data science and explore the field of AI.

• Christine Holladay

  College Counselor

  Christine received her B.A. in Psychology and Theatre at Washington University in St. Louis. After a year spent interning at the Catholic Student Center at Washington University, she began her career in education simultaneously working on her Master's degree and teaching fifth grade in inner city Baltimore. As a member of Operation T.E.A.C.H., Christine lived with other young people dedicated to education and social justice. She then moved back to St. Louis and began working on the north side of the city and was engaged in schools with the Nativity Miguel model of education as a Graduate Support Director.

• Gina Watkins

  Guidance Counselor

  Gina Watkins joined Aim High in 2012. During the school year, she serves as the guidance counselor at Crossroads College Preparatory Academy and has also worked in the Riverview Gardens district. Gina holds a Master of Arts degree in Counseling from Lindenwood University.

• Jim Linhares

  Assistant Principal for Mission

  Jim Linhares has been a member of the SLUH faculty since 1983. He earned a B.A. in Theology and English from Saint Louis University and an M.A. in Religion and Religious Education from Fordham University. He is currently the Assistant Principal for Mission, charged with the Administration's two broad areas of life at SLUH: professional support for the teaching faculty and support for the Jesuit and Catholic identity of the school.

• Maggie Hannick

  Student

  Maggie is a senior at St. Joseph's Academy, where she is actively involved in Student Council, Diversity Club, and Campus Ministry. Outside of school, she has become an advocate through Missouri Youth and Government and an activist for many causes, such as Students Demand Action gun violence prevention, Black lives matter, the environment, immigrant rights, and many other human rights. Additionally, Maggie works for an educational nonprofit, Civitas, which promotes active citizenship and global awareness. She engages in service work through Friends of Wings, Habitat for Humanity, the Catholic Worker House, and the International Institute. Maggie is planning to attend college in California or in the Northeast and major in Public Policy, hoping to become a medical doctor and healthcare advocate.