By Benjamin Hong, Co-Editor-In-Chief
On March 8th, River Hill hosted its fourth annual TEDxRiverHillHS conference. The event brought together community members to hear speakers share ideas under this year’s theme: “Breaking Barriers.” Featured presentations covered a wide range of topics, from equity in math and climate change to mental health and the gender gap. At the end of the conference, visitors and speakers were treated to pizza and snacks, taking pictures together and exchanging congratulations while discussing the insights shared over the course of the two-hour event.
The event kicked off with Watch Your Language, delivered by Mount Hebron High School senior Felix Baum, and Developing: Ethical, Emotional, & Spiritual Intelligence, delivered by entrepreneur Amrish Vyas, both of which emphasized important considerations one must take when interacting with others and society at large. River Hill High School junior Henry Yarmus followed with Planet vs. Profit, which challenged the audience to consider the balance the world must establish between environmental sustainability and corporate interests. Vishnu Kannan, another junior at River Hill, explored economic disparities in math education and their remedies in Who Gets to Love Math?
Sophomore Eliza Buchman then discussed the devastating shrinkage of the Aral Sea and its tie-ins to our approach to climate change in The Aral Sea: Rising from the Desert. Sophomore Emery Skolkin’s talk fell into a similar vein as Kannan’s, discussing educational disparity and potential avenues of redress in No Person Left Behind. Freshman Riddhi Mittal presented Every 40 Seconds, a reflection on stigmas surrounding mental health and social media’s role in addressing it, and freshman Nathanial Clarke inspired the audience to become pioneers in their fields of choice in Be The First. The final speaker, sophomore Yashica Papineni, rounded off the event with Closing the Gender Gap in STEM, encouraging inclusivity and equal opportunities in science and technology.
Putting together an event of this magnitude is no easy task, but the student organizing committee, spearheaded by both the TEDxRHHS founder, senior Ishaan Busireddy, and the TEDx vice president, Vivian Raj, were more than up to the task. They were driven by a deep-seated belief in TEDx’s mission of uplifting student voice, with Raj explaining, “It’s important to have events like this for students and for the community because it gives people an opportunity to share their voice and their ideas with others.” By and large, the pair accomplished this goal through this year’s conference, with TEDx’s volunteer coordinator, junior Matthew Sotomey, describing it as an “incredibly impactful event.”
TEDxRiverHill will continue to influence countless future generations of student speakers, and Busireddy wants to ensure that his work can continue to impact those who are looking to inspire change but are nervous about executing their ambitions. “Don’t set up barriers,” Busireddy counseled. “The most powerful barrier that can stop you is the one you build around your own head. If I was a freshman and could organize a whole official TED event and repeat that for four years, I’m sure you can do whatever small thing it is that you want to do.” By focusing on the end goal over the hurdles in one’s way, Busireddy advised, students can continue to drive innovation and challenge each other to embrace the diversity of thought that makes the River Hill community truly special.