TEDxCégep Champlain St Lawrence

Speakers

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

• Amélie Trépanier

  Being in my final semester, I realize my Cegep experience has shaped me in ways I never thought possible. Looking back, I see a quiet and reserved girl who was afraid to share her ideas. While I still have my non-verbal moments, I am much more outspoken now than I was, unafraid to put my two cents and stand up for myself. This brought me to the topic of my talk: critical thinking.

• Anastasia Gaulin

  Kindness is a word we often hear, yet we rarely stop to ask what it truly means or where it begins. I am Anastasia Gaulin, a 19-year-old business student who believes that kindness has the power to transform not only the world around us but also the way we see ourselves. I have always been passionate about positive leadership and helping others thrive. When the opportunity to speak at TEDx arose, I was terrified… and that’s exactly why I signed up for it!

• Claire Hayek

  For more than 30 years, she has operated in highpressure environments, from growing up in war-torn Lebanon to engineering and executive leadership. Her work examines how sustained pressure shapes the human nervous system, identity, and performance — and how high performers can harness drive without letting it quietly erode clarity, health, or voice. Claire is the creator of Pressure-Proof Leadership ™ , a system designed to help leaders and teams stay decisive, grounded, and aligned when stakes are high. Her work and thought leadership have been featured in International Business Times. She is also the host of The NeuroLeadership Edge Podcast, ranked in the top 6% of podcasts globally. Her work bridges human resilience and organizational performance, focusing on one central question: how do we master pressure without becoming driven by it?

• Jacob Huang

  I tend to think a lot. Many ideas go through my head and most of them end up forgotten. TEDx was a way for me to fully grasp topics that I’ve always wanted to implement in my daily life. It was also a perfect chance to hone my speaking and communication skills. Voicing my ideas and sharing them with people really sounded appealing to me and it was absolutely something I couldn’t miss! My family and friends have always considered me someone mature for my age. My thoughts, ideas, and reflections are generally based on serious topics that require attention and understanding. In fact, I used to have trouble fitting in sometimes due to not relating to many things that people of my age do. However, I learned that it is truly an advantage to have this thought process, which helps me concentrate on what matters to me, get over challenges easier, help others, listen to others, and keep myself motivated. I’ve always enjoyed helping people out.

• Justin Simard

  I create content, speak without permission, vlog side-quests, write newsletters, and smile at strangers just to see what happens every day. I’m here to meet people who want to build a life they’re actually excited about—people who won’t wait for permission to get a kick out of their own lives. My talk is about learning to respect yourself enough to act before you’ve “figured it out.” Life is beautifully scarce, and overthinking it only steals from that beauty. You don’t need a 10-year plan. What you need is a reliable next step. That’s what the 3-Question Filter G.P.S. is designed to help you find. I wanted to speak because I spoke last year… and messed it up. I needed to prove to my brain that public attention isn't something that can break me. Coming back for a second TED Talk is about refusing to disappoint myself.

• Melissa Xiangqi Wu

  Hi! I'm Melissa, a quiet and introspective person learning to navigate growth and to approach life with gentleness and courage. For a long time, I avoided the spotlight because I was afraid of the stares of others. TEDx became an opportunity to reclaim my power and show that real strength can also be found in being soft-spoken. That's what inspired me to give my talk, "Having the Courage to Change." Change has always fascinated me because it's something everyone fears on different levels. I wanted to speak because I know what it feels like being caught between who you are and who you want to become and it's always been a struggle for me. I hope that by combining science, storytelling, and honesty, I was able to help people realize that change isn't about being fearless, but it's about taking the first step anyway. Choosing courage over comfort. And that's the very reason I decided to stand on this stage.

• Paul Rousseau

  With a background in Marketing and Finance, and as a bestselling author, business consultant, naturopath, and martial artist, Paul brings both analytical precision and human depth to his work. In this talk, he reveals how pressure, when embraced consciously, can forge resilience, clarity, and excellence. Through his MINDSET 360 philosophy, he shows how behaviors influence the mind, the mind influences the body, and an energized body influences actions, creating a powerful cycle of coherence and momentum. Drawing on neuroscience, psychology, and lived experience, Paul reminds us that growth is not linear but dynamic, requiring balance across the eight facets of life: from family and career, to health, relationships, mindset, and beyond. His message is simple yet transformative: when mind, body, and actions rise together, pressure doesn’t break us, but it shapes us into diamonds.

• Raphaël Payant

  I’m Raphaël, a young man who loves sports and intelligent conversations. I also really enjoy making people uncomfortable and challenging their preconceived opinions about pretty much everything. My talk is about the growing influence of the manosphere on young men’s perceptions of women. “Women are the reason why men suffer, equality is a lie, and feminism is a threat to masculinity as we know it” , these are some of the claims I stumbled upon while doing my research. I found a lot of shocking information and stereotypes being shared under the self-help umbrella. I decided to speak about this particular topic after a discussion with my friends, where I realized that the manosphere content I had first found silly actually had real fans and followers. It scared me a bit at first, and that’s why I wanted to do my part to spread awareness. The goal of this talk is to help us, as a society, make better choices and think critically about the content and values our youth engages with.