TEDxMCA Youth

Speakers

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

• Heya (Natalie) Na

  She is a student speaker interested in identity, emotional acceptance, and human connection. Through reflecting on judgment, morality, and social pressure, she explores the hidden forms of intolerance in everyday life. Through her sharing, she hopes to encourage people to embrace complexity, empathy, and the courage to exist authentically.

• Tianxin (Fiona) Zhang

  Fiona is a student speaker interested in personal growth, emotional resilience, and self-worth during adolescence. Having experienced academic pressure and self-doubt in her teenage years, she reflects on the emotional journey behind “being ordinary.” Through her sharing, she hopes to encourage others to embrace imperfection, rethink failure, and find strength in rebuilding themselves after setbacks.

• Xin (Esther) Yu

  Esther is a student interested in youth culture, identity, and personal growth. Through her experiences with fandom and concert culture, she began reflecting on the emotional impact of idolization and the importance of maintaining balance between passion and real life. In her talk, she explores how admiration can become a source of motivation and self-development rather than emotional dependency, encouraging young people to grow alongside their interests instead of losing themselves within them.

• Yangming（Benny) Fang

  Benny is a student speaker interested in identity, emotional growth, and the meaning of living authentically in a fast-paced world. Inspired by personal experiences and the film Soul, he reflects on the complexity of happiness, pressure, and self-worth during adolescence. Through his sharing, Benny hopes to encourage others to reconnect with themselves and rediscover the beauty of simply living.

• Yaoyu Lin

  Yaoyu is a student passionate about psychology and human identity. She explores how personality systems such as MBTI shape self-perception and influence the way people make choices about their future. In her talk, she challenges the idea of fixed personality labels and encourages audiences to embrace the complexity and fluidity of human potential.

• Yiran (Daniel) Wang

  Daniel is passionate about mental well-being, mindfulness, and personal growth. Through his experiences exploring yoga, meditation, and self-reflection, he began rethinking the relationship between modern lifestyles and emotional health. In his talk, he shares how reconnecting with oneself and the outside world can become an important part of the healing journey.

• Yiran (Karen) Ding

  Karen is a student currently navigating the uncertainties of growing up, college admissions, and self-discovery. After spending years trying to become the “perfect applicant,” her gap year became a turning point that reshaped how she views success, identity, and authenticity. Through sharing her experiences, she hopes to remind students that life is more than a résumé — and that sometimes being real is more powerful than being perfect.

• Yitian (Grace) Jiang

  Grace is a student speaker interested in youth identity, personal growth, and the emotional side of academic pressure. Having experienced the college application process and a gap year, she reflects on fear, failure, and self-discovery during formative years. Through sharing her story, she hopes to encourage students to rethink perfection and redefine success through authenticity and lived experience.

• Zimeng (Amelia) Sheng

  Amelia is a student speaker interested in life, memory, and human connection. After experiencing the loss of a loved one, she began to reflect on death not as something to fear, but as a way to better understand love and presence. Inspired by Coco, she explores how life can continue through memories, and hopes to encourage others to live more consciously, love more deeply, and cherish the moments that make us unforgettable to one another.