TEDxRDFIS Youth

Speakers

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

• Cheryl Dublar

  I am an educator with more than fifteen years of experience teaching at both the high school and university levels. I hold a Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Management and have been teaching internationally since 2019. Despite my academic background and professional achievements, I experienced constant pressure to do more and achieve more. Over time, I observed the same pattern among my students—working harder while feeling increasingly exhausted rather than fulfilled. These experiences led me to reflect on how success is defined and why busyness is often mistaken for growth, making the idea of anti-involution deeply personal to my work and advocacy.

• Joyce Wang

  Hi everyone, I am Joyce, a nineth grader from RDF international School. For years, I’ve measured success by just plain numbers on academic scores. It’s all twirling around the “A”, the “100”, but I’ve never felt it until I broke my hand playing soccer just three months ago. Even though almost everyone around me advised me to stop sports, I went on with volleyball and soccer with an injured hand. The feeling I got isn’t the physical pain coming out of my bones, it’s success. Success is clinging to your passions and pursuing what you love even when it hurts.

• Snow Dong

  A diligent learner who never ceased her effort, Snow wishes to share her journey of success with others. Having achieved a 116 in Toefl, a 2400 in SSAT and many other nonstandardized achievements, Snow speaks from her heart to impart her experience on how to yield success with the least amount of effort — in her own words, innovate instead of involute.

• Teodora Raicevic

  I’m Teodora, an 11th grade student at RDF International School. I moved to China almost two years ago, and I am currently experiencing an American-style education. Before that, I attended a public school in Serbia. Because of this, I have experience with both education systems and actually with three different cultures, and I have drawn some conclusions about the effectiveness of each. In most public schools, students are pushed to their limits, and by the time they reach high school, many of them lose interest in their favorite subjects. This system works well for students who can handle this kind of pressure in order to succeed, but it doesn’t recognize another kind of success that I also want to discuss: inner success. To briefly explain this term, inner success is the feeling of being truly satisfied with yourself — when you are happy, confident, and comfortable with who you are. In a few words, it is when you learn to love yourself.

• Thea Xuan

  I am Thea, a tenth grader with a strong passion for zoology and veterinary science. I’m eager to share my ideas and stories on stage. With several past experiences participating in TEDx events as both a speaker and a host, as well as serving as president of my school’s HOSA chapter and animal protection club, I am excited to connect my personal experiences of rescuing animals with the theme of anti-involution and offer my unique perspective this time.

• Yiran Han

  Yiran Han, a 14-year-old outstanding eighth-grade student who loves both music and sports. She enjoys composing melodies with mobile apps and is active on the court—whether playing basketball, table tennis, badminton, or volleyball. To her, success is not about ranking, but about immersing herself in what she loves, mastering it step by step, and constantly pushing her limits.