TEDxGDS Youth

Speakers

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

• Anna Jain

  Student, Northwest High School

  Anna Jain is an 11th grader at Northwest High School who has been doing public speaking for more than 3 years. She enjoys learning about self help and incorporating those ideas into her own life and influencing people in her life to do the same.

• Cory Stephenson

  Teacher of English, Greensboro Day School

  Cory Stephenson is a longtime Upper School teacher and the English Department chair at GDS. She meshes her love of art, nature, movement, and words in her personal and professional life through interdisciplinary approaches to teaching and outdoor education.

• Julia Soutto Mayor Guimaraes

  Student, Greensboro Day School

  I have lived in 5 different countries. I’ve been to another 30. I am so beyond grateful for these experiences, but I am especially grateful for being able to experience how different cultures and different people experience joy. Throughout my life I've had to learn to adapt. Learn what was and was not appropriate in every new place. This was not an easy feat for me, I come from a culture that has multiple celebrations for every new holiday or accomplishment. If we have a party that's said to start at 3, it’ll really start at 5 and go into the early morning hours. Therefore, going to places in which I had to celebrate things quietly simply because it was the norm, felt like I wasn’t so proud of the things I had accomplished. Over time I realized that this was never the case but that the celebrations that were the norm in each country had the same intentions.

• Katie Wells

  Teacher of Social Studies, Greensboro Day School

  Katie Wells has taught social studies for a dozen years. Recently, she has been a full time mom of twin boys and a part time substitute teacher. Although Katie grew up on the campus of Davidson College, graduated from Bowdoin College, and then earned a master's degree from the University of Virginia, no amount of formal schooling could have prepared Katie for parenting or substitute teaching! Embracing the joy of improv has helped Katie make the most of her new roles. She believes half the curriculum is written down and the other half walks in the door each day. During her TED talk, Katie hopes to make the case for improv as a joyful exercise and mindset. Turns out life can feel rather joyful when we let ourselves be in the moment. Katie used to seek perfection and now she seeks engagement and connection - for herself and others. Now she believes improv in schools can spark the type of humility, curiosity, and joy that helps learning endure.

• Suzanne Crifo

  Assistant Professor of the Practice, Department of Mathematics, Duke University

  Dr. Suzanne Crifo is a mathematician and an educator. As an Assistant Professor of the Practice in the Department of Mathematics at Duke University, her work focuses primarily on enhancing the department’s teaching of computational topics and the integration of more computation classes, especially undergraduate classes, into the curriculum. In her previous roles in the undergraduate learning center at Duke, Dr. Crifo supported students both individually and in groups as they sought ways to be more successful (and efficient) in their academic careers, and she brings this experience into her classroom. She continues to learn and is currently curious about and exploring alternative grading and assessment, incorporating metacognitive strategies in classes, and how to assess student learning in the age of generative AI.

• Thais Codron

  Student, Greensboro Day School

  Thais Codron is a 10th grader at Greensboro Day school. She has always been interested in psychology and how the human brain works, why we react this way to certain things. She enjoys learning about life and the different behaviors that people have in different situations.

• Tracie Catlett

  Head of the school, Greensboro Day School

  Dr. Tracie Catlett is in her seventh year as Head of School at Greensboro Day School and has spent 30 years in education spanning public school, independent schools, and university. A lifelong learner, Dr. Catlett earned her EdD from Johns Hopkins University in Mind, Brain, and Teaching, where she explored the intersection of neuroscience, cognitive science, and education. Her research explored the effects of a mindfulness intervention on adolescent stress and emotion regulation. Her skills and expertise are represented at the national level as a member of the Board of Trustees for the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) and on the Advisory Board of Authentic Connections, a nonprofit advancing school community wellbeing. Dr. Catlett and her husband, Mark, live in Greensboro and have four sons and two dogs. She finds joy in simple pleasures—morning coffee with her husband, mountain hikes, and family travels.