TEDxJesus&Mary School Youth

Speakers

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

• Alexander Achkar

  Grade 11 Student at Jesus and Mary School

  Ever wondered why staying focused for ten minutes feels harder than scrolling for two hours? We live in a system built on instant gratification where scrolling and endless stimulation has become part of our daily routine. What often seems like harmless habits slowly train our brains to crave short bursts of dopamine, making focus and ambition harder to maintain and allowing complacency to creep into our lifestyles. In my TEDx talk, I will explore these seemingly harmless behavioral patterns are quietly reshaping the way we think and live, and why the battle for attention may be one of the biggest challenges facing our generation today.

• Allison "Arab" Maalouf

  Internet Personality - Independent Journalist

  Not everything you see is the full picture. Joining us at TEDxJesus&MarySchool Youth is Arab. Known for stepping into places most people only see through headlines, Arab challenges narratives by going straight to the source, questioning what we’re shown, what we believe, and what gets left out. From on-the-ground experiences across different countries to confronting how media shapes perception, his perspective pushes you to rethink the stories you think you already know.

• Anthony Abou Antoun

  Entrepreneur - Founder of Andmore Ventures

  Not every story starts big—but some end up building things that are. Joining us at TEDxJesus&MarySchool Youth is Anthony Abou Antoun. The mind behind some of the region’s biggest shows and immersive experiences, Anthony turned a small idea into a company building stages, festivals, and productions across the Middle East and beyond, starting young with nothing but a vision and growing it into large-scale entertainment that travels across countries. His story is about building at scale when most people don’t even see the blueprint yet, about ambition, risk, and what it actually takes to turn creativity into something massive.

• Antonio Yachouh

  Grade 12 Student at Jesus and Mary School

  Every revolution begins with one uncomfortable question. What could humanity become if fear stopped deciding its limits? Before Einstein challenged reality itself, Greek philosophers challenged society, tradition. The limits humans once thought impossible to reach became nothing more than barriers they chose to mock. This talk is not just about breaking human limits. It is about why progress has always belonged to the people brave enough to think differently and confident enough to outsmart society.

• Carl Medawar

  Grade 11 Student at Jesus and Mary School

  Think about this. A grade can reflect how well you understood a lesson. But can it measure imagination? Wonder? The moment an idea changes the way you see the world? Curiosity is what pushes learning beyond obligation and transforms it into something personal. It’s what turns information into passion. In my talk, I want to explore how achievement and curiosity were never meant to compete with one another, but to work together. Because education means more when learning continues after the test is over.

• Elie Joe Egho

  Grade 10 Student at Jesus and Mary School

  Come see this! Humans can go 3 weeks without food, but not 3 days without water. Water is our most precious commodity, yet we’re running out of it faster than you think. If we’re 65% made of water, why don’t we care about preserving it? It is a must that YOU join me to uncover the importance of H2O on our world.

• Jason Azzi

  CEO of ReFramed | Jesus and Mary School Graduate

  Jason Azzi — cofounder of ReFramed and a full-time student with a passion for entrepreneurship. His business ventures span from artifical intelligence, blockchain development, and contemporary fashion development.

• Joya Maria Salameh

  Grade 11 Student at Jesus and Mary School

  What if laughter was never just a sound, but a form of survival woven into the human experience itself? During my TEDx talk, I will explore how laughter became one of humanity’s most powerful and timeless mechanisms — a quiet force that heals wounds unseen, bridges souls, and allows us to endure even the weight of the darkest moments. In a world obsessed with innovation, perhaps the greatest masterpiece of human resilience has been within us all along.

• Merhij Nassif

  Grade 11 Student at Jesus and Mary School

  Hi! I’m Merhij Nassif and I will be speaking about how our thoughts are not always consciously created by us, but are often shaped by external influences, experiences, and the environment around us. Through this talk, I will explore the connection between thought, identity, and self-awareness, and challenge the idea of what truly defines the voice inside our minds.

• Naya Housseiny

  Grade 11 Student at Jesus and Mary School

  Have you ever wondered where creativity stems from? Contrary to popular beliefs boredom acts as the foundational structure that encourages creativity. With the widespread development of algorithmic influences this reality has been effectively eradicated rendering the coming generations powerless in the face of social media platforms.

• Nour Salameh

  Grade 10 Student at Jesus and Mary School

  There’s something strange about the way we experience time now. We spend so much of our lives waiting for the next thing instead of existing in the moments we once wished for. Hi! I’m Nour Salameh, and in my Ted talk I will be reflecting on something we tend to overlook - the feeling of constantly waiting for life to begin.

• Samer Moumneh

  Digital Creator & Comedian

  The Power of Not Quitting Too Early Joining us at TEDxJesus&MarySchool Youth is Samer Moumneh—a creator, storyteller, and voice shaping how a generation sees creativity, success, and themselves. From the highs of viral views to the lows no one talks about, Samer pulls back the curtain on what it really means to build online today: the pressure, the unpredictability, and the reality behind the numbers on a screen.

• Sofia Hrawi

  Grade 12 Student at Jesus and Mary School

  This talk is about the way we label people before we truly know them. My name is Sofia, and growing up between Lebanese and Russian cultures has made me experience this very personally. Through my own experiences, I reflect on what it feels like to constantly be seen through assumptions that never fully fit. The talk is a reminder that people are far more complex than the labels we give them, and that real understanding takes time.