Theme: Rise

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized (subject to certain rules and regulations).

Lake Washington Institute of Technology
11605 132nd Ave NE
Kirkland, Washington, 98034
United States

Anvita Gupta

Biology

Anvita Gupta is a student who used machine learning technology to identify promising new drugs for cancer, tuberculosis and Ebola, and won third place at the Intel Science Talent Search for her research. She also has a non-profit organization called LITAS For Girls that teaches middle-school girls how to code.

Azza Cohen

Humanitarian

Azza Cohen is a rising senior at Princeton where she was selected as a Dalai Lama Fellow. Before attending Princeton, Cohen spent a gap year volunteering at Guria fighting sex trafficking and teaching English and computer skills to the children of the trafficked workers. She won a Davis grant and filmed the movie Specks of Dust about the humanitarian and founder of Guria, Ajeet Singh’s work through the lens of his daughter, Barish.

Cameron Messinides

Poet

Cameron Messinides is a 2014 National Student Poet for the Southeast Region who will be speaking about his journey in finding his passion for writing (and of course, poetry).

Christopher Richardson

Pianist

Christopher Richardson is an accomplished pianist with awards from the National YoungArts Foundation, the National Chopin Foundation, the American Fine Arts Festival, and many, many more organizations. He has performed at numerous prestigious venues, including Carnegie Hall, and will be both speaking and playing at this year’s conference.

Jocelyn Waite

I've always been an anxious person. When I was little my anxiety presented itself as the overwhelming fear that there was a monster in my closet or a murderer around the corner. As I grew older it became less about the unseen and more about the unsaid. Constantly I was afraid that people didn't like me, and at many points it was hard for me to even like myself. Through the support of loved ones and the constant drive to keep pushing myself out of my comfort zone, I was able to achieve a more grounded reality and self confidence that carries me through on most days.

Kai Kleopfer

Firearm Safety

Kai Kloepfer was concerned about gun safety and designed a “smart gun” with biometric sensors to ensure that lethal weapons don’t end up in the wrong hands. He won first place at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair for his project, and developed a company (Ægen Technologies) that specializes in the production and sale of these guns.

Olenka Polak

App Developer

Olenka Polak is a Thiel Fellow who is developing an app called myLINGO that translates movies in real time to improve moviegoers’ experiences. She is a member of the Women’s Founders Forum and one of Forbes’ “30 under 30″.

Valerie Ding

Solar Engineer

Valerie Ding is a 2014 Davidson Fellow who received a $25,000 scholarship for her work on improving solar cells. She has placed at ISEF, I-SWEEP, and the Google Science Fair for her research, amongst numerous other competitions. Besides her incredible scientific accomplishments, Valerie also has a passion for classical music and piano-playing.