TEDxNormal Community HS

Speakers

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

• Animish Amaravadi

  Animish Amaravadi is a junior at Normal Community High School, Illinois, with a passion for storytelling, creativity, and leadership. As an avid writer and artist, he became one of the youngest published authors in Illinois after releasing his debut novel, The Fish-Demic, as a freshman. Beyond writing, Animish has distinguished himself in business and communication, earning the title of Illinois State Champion at the FBLA State Leadership Conference. Whether through books, art, or the stage, he enjoys using creativity to inspire others and spark meaningful conversations.

• Colton Leonard

  Colton Leonard, 17, is a student entrepreneur, TEDx speaker, and youth advocate from Central Illinois. He is passionate about financial literacy, entrepreneurship, and community impact, serving as the Global Director of Finance for the Junior Economic Club and co-founding RootedFutures to support young entrepreneurs. Through his position as president of SIPO, Colton has lead raising of over $250,000 for local charities. Outside of leadership and public speaking, he enjoys endurance sports, community service, and mentoring younger students.

• Faseeha Fathima Bajulul Hak

  Faseeha is a 16-year-old student with a passion for leadership, innovation, and community service. She enjoys challenging herself through new experiences, meeting new people, and striving for excellence in everything she does. Throughout high school, Faseeha has had the opportunity to serve as Freshman Class President, become a member of the National Honor Society, earn 5th place in the Illinois Annual First-Year Chemistry Contest hosted by the American Chemical Society, and represented her school as one of two teams selected to compete in State Farm’s Annual STEMY Awards. Outside of academics, Faseeha enjoys baking, painting, and reading. She is passionate about volunteering in her community, especially working with children and helping others. Faseeha's interests in engineering and chemistry continue to inspire her, and she hopes to pursue a career in engineering in the future. Through her TEDx talk, Faseeha hopes to inspire others to recognize the impact they can have and the opportunities that arise when they embrace their potential, especially the younger generation of kids like herself.

• Julia Min

  Julia Min is 16 years old and usually likes public speaking. She’s an avid competitor in speech and mock trial, qualified for and won some national humanities competitions, and plays violin. She loves horchata frozen yogurt and just passed her drivers test.

• Prachiti Kulkarni

  Prachiti Kulkarni is a 15 year old who has won 2nd place at State for FBLA Intro to Public Speaking. She also enjoys playing the piano and is apart of her school's orchestra!

• Rishabh Narendranath

  For the past few years, Rishabh has been dedicated towards serving his community and developing his personal philosophy. His TED talk was inspired by his observations within political debates and the psychological aspect of the spread of political ideology. Of course, Rishabh's life as a 15 year old isn't defined by such heavy subjects, as he has a high appreciation for the fine arts, especially music, and a guilty pleasure of scrolling on Instagram. Being a president of and having involvement in multiple school clubs, he has his fair share of time commitment outside of the classroom. Although, Rishabh holds a stellar appreciation for academia, wishing to provide education to as many people as possible upon reaching adulthood.

• Scarlett Mercer

  Scarlett Mercer is a 15 year old girl who loves learning. She loves math and reading, and has a deep passion for women’s rights and making the world a better place. As a student she’s seen firsthand how AI can help students, and how it can negatively affect learning. She hopes that by sharing what she’s learned, it can help change the world for the better.

• Zofia Bell

  Zofia Bell is an avid learner and loves to ask all kinds of questions, whether silly or complex! She loves learning, baking, making new friends and stepping out of her comfort zone. At school, she is involved in various different volunteering opportunities through Key Club.