TEDxBergenCountyAcademies

Speakers

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

• Aanya Gandhi

  Student

  Aanya Gandhi is a student, educator, and the founder of Expressive Evolution, a youth-led nonprofit that empowers students around the world to build confidence through communication. Her work blends behavioral economics, leadership, and public speaking to challenge how we think about choice, identity, and self-expression. As a nationally recognized speaker and researcher, she’s taught hundreds of students communication globally, and presented original work on investor psychology at national business conferences.

• Ashna Patel

  Teen Vitiligo Advocate

  "When Ashna Patel was younger, she spent years trying to blend in by covering her vitiligo and wishing her reflection looked different. But one day, she decided to stop hiding. In this uplifting talk, Ashna shares how choosing to be seen with vitiligo transformed her into someone who celebrates their difference every day. Ashna is the founder of Melanin Mosaic, a vitiligo advocacy organization based in New Jersey that normalizes the condition and encourages open conversation through art. She works closely with the World Vitiligo Foundation and Beautifully Unblemished to amplify youth voices and redefine what confidence looks like. Ashna believes that confidence begins where fear ends, and her TEDx Talk is a reminder that sometimes, the most powerful thing you can do is simply decide to be seen."

• Chloey Cho

  UCLA Student

  Chloey is a freshman at UCLA studying Economics and Musicology, and this is due to her interest rooted in business and music. With these passions, she started Solis and Luna Arts, an international therapy organization that centers around creative approaches to healthcare for patients with physical and mental health issues. She has received recognition for her work from the Kingdom of Wales, Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation, Elks Foundation, TEDx, Bill of Rights Institute, and more. She enjoys researching various sectors of music and relating it to various fields, whether it be business, history, politics. In her TEDxTalks, she aims to further spread music's unique potentials and avenues to people all over the world.

• Julia Cho

  Student

  Julia Cho is a student at Bergen County Academies researching how social media and marketing shape what we buy and our subconscious purchasing. From chasing viral TikTok products to analyzing why ads make us feel we “need” something, she uses personal experience to reveal the psychology behind impulse buying and emotional spending. In this talk, she shares insights on how to recognize influence, reclaim choice, and make more conscious decisions in a media-driven world.

• Karam Choudhary

  Traffic Engineer

  Karam Choudhary is a Traffic Engineer at WSP Global who believes every road and intersection tells a story about human behavior. With nine years of experience spanning industry, academia, and research, she blends infrastructure, construction, and project management with technology and artificial intelligence to solve critical challenges in Transportation. Karam holds a Master’s degree in Computer Science and Information Systems from Rider University, a Master’s Degree in Construction Engineering Management, and a Bachelor’s in Civil Engineering. Currently she is pursuing a PhD. in Information Technology with the focus in Artificial Intelligence. Beyond engineering, she’s an avid tennis player and mentor to engineering students, She is passionate about community and professional growth, and a Vice President for American Society of Civil Engineers Central Jersey Branch. She received an outstanding graduate student award from the Intelligent Transportations System Society in NJ.

• Max Deninzon

  High School Student

  Max Deninzon is a junior in the Academy of Business & Finance (ABF) at the Bergen County Academies High School in Hackensack, New Jersey. Extraordinarily passionate about financial education, Max has been working extensively on bringing financial education to youth both at BCA as well as throughout his local community. As the acting president of his high school’s investment club, he leads weekly lectures on various technical theories and trading strategies. With these tools, he works with students to be able to utilize this theory in real-world applications, which Max believes is necessary to understand even at a basic level because of how it plays into daily life. Outside of the classroom, Max currently serves as the CFO for the Artrepreneurship Initiative Alliance, a student-run 501(c)(3) nonprofit that offers digital design services and marketing to local businesses throughout northern New Jersey. He also recently started a YouTube channel which goes by the name of “Wick&Candle."

• Omer Topaloglu

  Professor of Marketing

  Omer Topaloglu, Ph.D. (Toe-pah-loh-loo) is Professor of Marketing and Chair of the Department of Marketing, Management, and Entrepreneurship at Fairleigh Dickinson University’s Silberman College of Business. A recognized scholar in brand strategy, nonprofit marketing, and digital marketing, his research has been published in leading journals such as the Journal of Retailing, Decision Sciences, and the Journal of Business Research. Dr. Topaloglu is the recipient of multiple teaching, research, and service awards, including the New Jersey Bright Idea Award, and has delivered invited talks at international conferences and universities worldwide. He is also the founding president of the Society of North American Scholars and serves on several editorial and professional boards. He holds a Ph.D. in Business Administration from Texas Tech University, an M.B.A. from Montclair State University, and a B.A. in Economics from Bogazici University.