TEDxQSI Shenzhen Youth

Speakers

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

• Angela Zhang

  Angela talks about how chasing the identity of a “perfect student” caused her to give up parts of herself, including ballet, volleyball, and MUN. She explains that people must “curate” their own minds by questioning harmful expectations and choosing which thoughts truly deserve to define them.

• Ayun Chang

  Ayun explains that money has value because people collectively believe in it, but this belief can become a veil that makes us measure success, happiness, and worth through numbers. He argues that money should remain a useful tool, not the standard by which we define our lives.

• Chloe Xu

  Chloe explains that the human voice is not magic or rare talent, but a physical tool made from breath, vocal cords, and practice. Her talk encourages everyone to use their voice confidently because speaking up is a right, not something reserved only for “gifted” speakers.

• Dana Bell

  Dana explores how stereotypes affect people’s performance and self-perception, especially through her experience as a female debater facing biased feedback. She argues that stereotype threat can limit people, but familiar environments, persistence, and reframing weakness as strength can help people overcome it.

• Dora Wang

  Dora discusses how procrastination is not always laziness, but often comes from decision fatigue and the overwhelming number of choices people face every day. Her talk shows how distractions and constant decisions drain our time, making it important to be more intentional with priorities.

• Emily Li

  Emily challenges the idea that silence is harmless, showing how chosen silence can protect comfort while allowing injustice, hurt, and missed opportunities to grow. She argues that courageous listening is the first step toward breaking silence and creating more honest relationships and communities.

• Genevieve Jacobsen

  Genevieve discusses how labels like race, gender, or identity can become a “veil” that reduces people into stereotypes. Using examples from Born a Crime and real-world discrimination, she argues that people must look beyond labels to recognize shared humanity and individual complexity.

• Jane Cho

  Jane reflects on how chasing perfection made her anxious, exhausted, and dependent on outside validation. Through her experience of moving to China, struggling during COVID, and learning about growth mindset, she argues that mistakes are not failures but starting points for growth.

• Richard Lee

  Richard uses the Snake game to explain how AI learns through trial, error, feedback, and improvement. Instead of fearing AI, he suggests that humans can learn from its process by failing better, iterating faster, and becoming more resilient.

• Seojin Joung

  Seojin talks about being labeled as “the quiet one” and how that label limited her view of herself. After joining a medical service club and volunteering, she discovered new sides of her identity and encourages others to step outside their comfort zones.

• Tobias Könings

  Managing Director

  Tobias shares his personal experience with depression and explains how difficult but common it can be. His talk focuses on facing mental health struggles openly, seeking help through therapy, medication, healthy habits, and creating supportive environments for the next generation.

• Yi Lu

  Ms. Lu argues that AI should not replace student thinking, but can help reveal it by making ideas, revisions, and questions visible. Through her teaching experience with AI filmmaking tools and a digital teacher avatar, she shows that the real goal of education should be curiosity, questioning, and exploration.