Theme: Daring Perspectives

Many of the world’s discoveries were built upon voicing viewpoints that were once controversial to societal beliefs. For example, Galileo, who is now known as one of the central figures in the Scientific Revolution, was sentenced to house arrest for suggesting the idea that the Earth rotates around the sun. Without stepping outside of our comfort zone, we will never be able to see past the horizon. So join us, as we embark on a journey full of empowering ideas to find out what is beyond our perspectives.

TEDxYouth@MiltonAve Conference
125 Milton Avenue
Alpharetta, Georgia, 30009
United States

Aanandi Thakur

Sophomore at Cox Mill High School

Along with founding Boss Kids Magazine, Aanandi is the co-founder of Remediate: a youth organization increasing awareness for healthcare disparities, with a community of more than 1.5K. In her free time, Aanandi is passionate about writing and publishing informative articles and STEM-related research papers. Her poetry book is currently sold on Amazon Worldwide!

Ashley Castillo

Senior at Hollywood High School

Ashley is passionate about government and politics. She is a gun violence prevention advocate, having worked with the organization Students Demand Action for two years. She has experience in the research and neuroscience fields and is growing as a public speaker. Gradually, she has learned to combine her different worlds.

Christian D Evans

Speaker, Author, and Podcast Host (Journey with Christian D Evans)

Christian D Evans has had the opportunity to network & interview business owners of all walks of life, revealing the top 1% of business & life insights. Because he was allowed to be mentored by such outstanding people, Christian feels that he has the responsibility—and the privilege—to pay it forward.

Christina Ademasu

Senior at Milton High School

Christina Ademasu is originally from Ethiopia and loves to travel, try new foods, and hang out with her friends. She has a strong passion for educational advocacy, and she hopes to use her voice as a vessel to amplify others. She's so excited to see what this year holds!

Drexil Smothers

Founder and CEO of Let’s Go Ministries, Inc. and Certified Trainer

Drexil Smothers has spoken to audiences of hundreds of people, including national and international leaders from over 12 partnering North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) countries.

Elayna Fernández

Bestselling Author, Internationally Acclaimed Storyteller, and Award-Winning Mom Entrepreneur

Known globally as the Positive MOM, Elayna Fernández has blogs, books, and programs that inspire millions of moms worldwide to break cycles, find peace, and feel whole. To learn more about Elayna, visit thePositiveMOM.com and follow her @thepositivemom.

Jada Curd

Senior at Burke County High School

Jada Curd is the co-founder of The Paw Print Burke County Public School District Newsletter that highlights district-wide student and staff achievement which reaches over 5.2K community members. When she is not writing, she is participating in speech and writing competitions of which she has garnered both state and national championships. In written and spoken works, Jada advocates for education that meets the needs of all students.

Megha Yeddula

Junior at Wheeler High School

Megha enjoys STEM and community service. As a kid who has traveled and moved a lot, she has developed different perspectives on various environments. She believes all of her experiences with new surroundings, community service, and school will allow her to provide a fresh perspective!

Nicholas Stone

Senior at Chattahoochee High School

Outside of the classroom, Nicholas loves to play percussion and write short stories. He is an alumnus of Georgia's Governor's Honors Program 59 for Communicative Arts, and he is an SOS Ambassador for Student Leadership Johns Creek.

Riya Movva

Junior at Milton High School

Riya is very excited to be a TEDx Speaker at Milton Avenue. She will be speaking about the capabilities of virtual reality (VR) therapy, and how technology can be utilized as a tool to help people suffering from mental health issues. In her free time, Riya enjoys listening to music, traveling, and hanging out with friends.

Sara Garg

Senior at Northview High School, Award-Winning Published Poet, Researcher

Sara Garg is the co-founder and president of youth nonprofit, Sync Poetry. Her poetry book, Elements, will be released in the spring of 2023. She plans to pursue a career in Computational Biology and has already written numerous research papers (ex: Medical Machine Bias, Dementia Risk Analysis). She knows and learns something new every day!

Shyla Chahal

Senior at Milton High School

Shyla is in Student Council and Senior Class Vice President, Student Life Editor of Yearbook, and Co-President of the Milton Vibha Club chapter under the Atlanta Youth Vibha. Outside of school, her hobbies include competitive swimming and photography.

Simran Modi

Associate at King & Spalding, an international law firm headquartered in Atlanta, GA

Simran Modi recently graduated from Emory Law School and was an editor in the Emory Law Journal. Simran is excited to share her passion for law and justice with the TEDxYouth community.

Tejaz Ashok

Senior at Milton High School

Tejaz enjoys gaining new experiences through speaking with others and learning. He has an interest in Public Health and plans to follow the pre-med track in college.