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).

Union County Vocational Technical High Schools
1776 Raritan Road
Scotch Plains, New Jersey, 07076
United States

Cindy Lleras

Student

Cindy Lleras is currently a high school student attending the Union County Academy for Allied Health Sciences. She loves the world around her and is never one to run from a challenge or be afraid to take risks. Cindy lives for the adventures and opportunities that each day brings. She lives by her motto, "Live each day as if it were your last," because that is what life is truly about. Additionally, she is passionate about learning, especially about the field of oncology. Cindy has involved herself in various events, clubs, and courses that work to help advance the study, understanding, and treatment of cancer. Cindy always strives to constantly influence the lives of all those around her for the better.

Francesca (Frankie) Licata

Student

Everyone in their elementary years is taught not to talk to strangers. However, it is one rule that Frankie could never quite follow. With her curious mind and outgoing personality, she found herself drawn to discovering the extraordinary stories carried by those who think of themselves as less than so. As of the 2021-2022 school year, Frankie is a sophomore at the Union County Vocational-Technical High School, enrolled in the teacher education academy. In this talk, she will detail her experience with academic and athletic burnout, exposing the excessive pressures and toxic culture that have cost our student athletes their lives. Armed with only a pen and a voice, Frankie is determined to show that positive change relies on our ability to stand up and fight for the future we know we deserve.

Kayla Han

Student

After developing anorexia, Kayla realized how inaccurate information on nutrition and the presence of diet-culture in her middle school health class contributed to her eating disorder. Once she made a full recovery and learned about others’ similar stories, Kayla became passionate about changing how nutrition and mental illness are covered in the classroom. By sharing her story and working to revise current health classes, Kayla hopes to stop the spread of misinformation in the classroom and bring greater awareness to mental illness. Kayla is a high school student, and outside of class, her passions include field hockey and lacrosse. She is NJ HOSA’s Member-at-Large, and with hopes of pursuing a career in the medical field, Kayla is dedicated to making a difference and helping others, starting with revising health class curriculum.

Maria Claudia Ramirez Aleman

Student

Maria Claudia is a student at the Union County Vocational-Technical Schools, specifically attending the Academy of Allied Health Sciences. She is a strong, young woman focused on helping students and speaking up about what she believes in. She also takes part in clubs like HOSA, Student Government, Relay for Life, and TedxYouth@UCVTS. Additionally, she has many volunteer hours as she enjoys tutoring other people in order to help them succeed in school; she loves participating in events, such as food drives, to help the people in her community. In the future, she hopes to become a cardiothoracic surgeon.

Rubina Singh

Student

Rubina Singh is an incoming junior at the Union County Magnet High School for Science, Mathematics and Technology, but she is far from a STEM student. Her true passion is government and politics, which has stemmed from her leadership and public speaking experience. Rubina has served as Student Council President for three years and is a member of the New Jersey Association of Student Councils. Rubina is also an active member of Debate Club, Youth and Government and Model United Nations. Rubina believes that education and public service are the factors that will strengthen democracy for the future. She currently has a great interest in climate change and foreign relations. She hopes to study abroad in the future and learn about different cultures and governments around the world.

Samira Exantus

Student

Samira Exantus is a sophomore at UCVTS who is passionate about the medical field. Throughout her life one of the topics which she found most interesting was the importance of mental health in students. She enjoys exploring the different factors of mental health issues and the flaws in the education of students about the topic. She talks of struggling with self-identity and confidence throughout middle school, and she's found that public speaking was an area that helped her gain confidence. She is passionate about the topics she speaks of and each speech written is dedicated to changing at least one mindset or perspective of someone in the crowd. Her motto is “you got this.”

Sofia Rahman

Student

Sofia Rahman is currently a junior at the Academy for Allied Health Sciences in Union County Vocational-Technical Schools. She has always been incredibly passionate about medicine, and loves to learn all about the many aspects of it. In her free time, she participates in HOSA, Debate Club, and volunteers for the New Providence EMS. As a young Indian-American who has lived in the United States her whole life, she has seen and experienced some of the racist behaviors that run rampant in our country. By speaking up about microaggressions in her talk, she hopes to shed light on the small but significant acts of stereotyping that people of color face every day.

Subhronil Mukherjee

Student

Subhronil is a junior at Union County Vocational Technical High School at the Academy for Law and Justice. At school, he enjoys his law classes, history, science, and math. He is involved in extracurricular activities such as Speech and Debate Club, Science Olympiad, Math League, and Chess Club. His hobbies include playing the piano and writing. He also enjoys looking into controversial topics related to law and talking about them. Related to this is his interest in politics and public policy. Consequently, he hopes to go into a career that can make a change in the world. Subhronil also likes bringing attention to topics and concepts which are not regularly discussed, which was an inspiration for his talk at TEDx about the dissatisfaction trap.