Theme: Empowering the Youth!

CODA Club presents Leander High Schools first ever TEDx event! Get ready for an unforgettable day of inspiration, innovation, and insight as students from across the United States take the TEDx stage to share their passions, dreams, and fascinating perspectives on a wide range of topics.

Leander High School
3301 S. Bagdad Rd., Leander, TX 78641
Leander, Texas, 78641
United States

Gary Gao

Student

Gary Gao is a senior at Montclair Kimberley Academy in New Jersey. He's been training to be a pilot since he was 16 years old and will be fully licensed later this year. As an active member of the Experimental Aviation Association, Gary has dedicated himself to encouraging young people to explore an interest in aviation. Gary is a docent at The New Jersey Aviation Hall of Fame and Museum. He's also working to increase the museum's social media presence with the hopes of getting others to see aviation through the lens of history. Gary hopes that his TedX Talk will inspire others to follow their passion even when it seems impossible.

Mehul Rathi

Student

Mehul is known for being one of the kindest and most thoughtful people around. He goes out of his way to help others whenever he can. Mehul is in 10th grade and his favourite subject in school is Biology. Mehul's hobbies are to play the guitar, sing, compose music, draw, and play tennis. Mehul wants to go into the neuroscience field when he grows up. Mehul has published a lot of research papers on his own and is planning to do more with professors in the future! Mehul also likes to volunteer a lot!

Ronak Vusirikala

Student

Ronak Vusirikala is a senior at Centennial High School in Texas. He is an entrepreneur and is aspiring to become a business consultant. He is passionate in graphic design and running his multiple companies simultaneously. Some of Ronak's other hobbies include robotics, public speaking, and art. Ronak is also heavily involved within his community through his non profit organization that helps homeless people in downtown Dallas by providing them with necessities. Some of Ronak's companies include his card game company, biodegradable prosthetic limb company, and two apps he is working on developing. Ronak has also worked with mentors to publish a book over the utilization of pop culture in marketing techniques by fashion companies. He plans to continue entrepreneurship and expand his love through business throughout and beyond college and hopes to become a mentor for others in the future.

Sashwatha Senthilkumar

Student

Sashwatha Senthilkumar is a senior at Leander High School. Sashwatha is the vice president of Dialexicon, a non-profit organization dedicated towards connecting students all across the world through philosophical discussions targeted at schooling and current injustices. She is also an active member in her direct community through her non-profit Ataraxia, where she promotes neurodiversity and attempts to relieve the mental health crisis among the unhoused population through research-backed mental health kits. Without further adieu, here is her speech, “The Mysteries of Our Nightly Odyssey.”

Sri Lahari Siddabathula

Student

Lahari is a passionate spokesperson that raises awareness for invisible illness, and loves to debate on the overactive pendulum swing regarding the opioid epidemic. After being diagnosed with Amplified Musculoskeletal Pain Syndrome (A.M.P.S.) and endometriosis at the age of 15, she has realized how insufficient knowledge contributes to pain stigma, and further delays certain diagnoses. She is a current advocate for chronic pain, and works towards her goal of becoming a pain specialist to develop new and safer methods for treating pain. She delves into reworking perception and social stigma in her speech: Generational Pain.