TEDxNakornpayap Intl School Youth

Speakers

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

• Emily Stephenson

  Emily Stephenson is an educator, social-emotional learning specialist, and advocate for relationship-centered schools. Holding a Master of Public Health, an MSc in Psychology, and a teaching qualification in primary education, she brings expertise at the intersection of education, mental health, and human connection. Originally from the USA, Emily’s career has spanned continents and disciplines, including research, care work, program coordination, editorial work, and teaching. Across each role, one thread has remained constant: a deep belief in the power of empathy, vulnerability, and authentic connection. Emily is passionate about creating environments where people feel safe, valued, and understood. Her work explores how relationships and belonging shape human growth, and how schools and communities can better support wellbeing through trauma-informed, restorative, and connection-first approaches.

• Jiachen Zhang

  Bob is a NIS G9 student, who comes form KunMing China, He has been studying in Chiang Mai for one year. He’s in the theater club and he enjoys playing saxophone in the school band. After he moved to Chiang Mai, he found out that it might be hard to find a new tennis partner, so he decided to do another kind of exercise - jogging. From the experience of jogging, he learned that no matter what you want to do, you can’t succeed without taking the first step.

• KYI PHYU HTET

  Autumn Htet is a senior at NIS whose personality is as creative as it is distinctive. She is most highlighted for her unique, artistic personality which she often expresses through her hobbies— poetry, creative writing and self portraiture photography to name a few.

• MaoShun Guo

  He is a high school student in Grade 10 at Nakornpayap International School in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Growing up in ShengZheng, China, he dedicated his time to piano when he was young. After moving to Thailand 6 years ago, this consistency in practicing started to fade away. Unwilling to pick up the piano again yet wanting to keep learning music, he tried with the guitar — an experience that greatly challenged his opinion on consistency. It wasn't until that point that he realized: discipline isn’t about forcing yourself to continue, it’s about not wanting to stop.

• Mary Dunning

  Mary Dunning is a third grade teacher at Nakornpayap International School in Chiang Mai, Thailand, with over a decade of experience in education. Originally from Seattle, Washington, she relocated with her family to pursue an international life and new opportunities abroad. Through the challenges of adapting to a new country and redefining her sense of purpose, Mary discovered a passion for powerlifting—an experience that would profoundly shape her personal and professional growth. She believes that stepping outside of one’s comfort zone and embracing meaningful challenges can unlock an individual’s fullest potential and lead to lasting transformation.

• Pattanapol Suthaporn

  Pattanapol ‘Patt’ Suthaporn is a school counselor and Social-Emotional Learning Team Lead at Nakornpayap International School. He earned his Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology from Chiang Mai University. Prior to his current role, he worked as a counseling psychologist and Head of Academy at ME HUG Mental Health Center in Bangkok. Patt’s life journey has been anything but conventional. Before becoming a therapist, he explored many creative paths, working as a model, filmmaker, fashion brand owner, actor, hairdresser, volunteer teacher, project manager and exhibitor. These diverse experiences continue to shape his perspective on identity, growth, and human connection. Today, Patt is passionate about integrating creativity with psychology to promote well-being and personal growth. He believes deeply in human intuition and the infinite potential each person holds to evolve, heal, and redefine their own story.

• Taylor Wakefield

  Taylor Wakefield is an elementary teacher currently teaching in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Originally from Washington State, her experiences in multilingual education and grit have deeply shaped the way she understands identity, connection, and what it means to care for people. For years, Taylor measured her worth through productivity, achievement, and how much she could carry at once. But through burnout, vulnerability, and the everyday wisdom of the children she teaches, she began questioning why so many people feel pressured to earn rest or humanity through exhaustion. Her work and personal experiences led her to believe that some of the most meaningful parts of life are often the quietest: slowing down, listening deeply, and allowing ourselves to exist beyond performance. Through storytelling, reflection, and humor, her TEDx talk explores the emotional cost of constant striving and the courage it takes to reconnect with ourselves in a world that rarely stops moving.

• Warit Kasitanon

  Warit Kasitanon is the CEO and Co-founder of Intentions Labs, the bootstrapped startup behind Parnuan, a personal expense tracking chatbot application that grew to over 500,000 users in Thailand without any external funding. Before building Parnuan, he served as a Senior Product Manager at RakkaR, a digital asset security platform, and began his career in Thailand's crypto industry at Bitkub. Warit's approach to product development centers on solving practical, everyday financial problems and building directly for the people most underserved by existing tools.

• Yan XinChe

  Yan XinChe (Mona) is a student at Nakornpayap International School in Chiang Mai, Thailand. She has been studying abroad for nearly six years, within these years, her experience has played an important role in her perceptions of self-identity, independence, and personal growth. Living in different environments and adapting to unfamiliar cultures taught her how to navigate change while gradually discovering who she is beyond expectations and assumptions. Through her life experiences, she has developed a better understanding of her personal identity and the various feelings that people experience during adolescence. She now recognizes that these aspects of her character, which she previously viewed as signs of weak personality, define her as a thoughtful and sensible person. Through her own journey of growth, she hopes to encourage others to approach their own growth with patience, authenticity, and self-compassion.