Theme: Perspective

For those who may be unfamiliar, TEDxYouth is a grassroots initiative, created in the spirit of TED’s overall mission to research and discover “ideas worth spreading.” The BISZ TEDx program was formed to provide a platform for our students to share their thoughts and ideas to our community and the world.

This year’s theme is Perspective. Each of us have unique experiences and view the world through different lenses. Where some see opportunity, others may see obstacles; some beauty and others chaos, and of course the ultimate shift in perspective - hindsight.

We have five speakers who will speak on a variety of subjects including intellect, death, internal wastage, architecture, and nonsense. Each speaker will attempt to offer you a new perspective and hope to provide you with a new way to look at the world. You should hopefully gain a renewed and enriched perspective.

BISZ International School Shenzhen
Xingong Road, Nanshan District
3rd
Shenzhen, Guangdong, 51800
China

Brian Cheng

Student

Brian is currently in 9th grade. He is allergic to schoolwork and likes to spend his time exploring, experimenting, and producing artifacts within the realms of geography, computer science, music, and math. This is not to mention that speech and debate exists in his world as well. Most importantly; he likes nonsense and is enthusiastic to speak about the complexity of nonsense but ultimately the benefits that can be gained from doing nonsensical things.

Howard Yang

Student

Howard Yang is a 10th grade student currently studying in Basis International Shenzhen. Beside schoolwork, he’d like to dedicate his time into making handcrafts, playing squash (the athletic program, of course) and video games, as well as sleeping. His slightly obsessive compulsory characteristic is less reflected in the academic field but more in daily life, such as analyzing the shortest pathway to the next classroom and seeking for the most intriguing way to introduce himself in the biography as such. Through the platform of TEDx, he aspires to express his idea and attach himself to a larger community.

Makayla Zhong

High school student

Makayla is an 8th grader at BASIS International School Shenzhen. She is a dedicated student, a single mom to her beloved West Highland Terrier, Miranda’s favorite sister (a title she graciously bestows upon herself), a debater, a cellist, a Swiftie, and a heavy sleeper. Currently, she serves as the Novice Debate Captain at her school, is an active NJHS participant, and has previously helped organize the Shenzhen Interschool Debate Cup twice. In her free time, she finds inspiration for her writing from music, badminton, and art. Her journey in speech and debate has inspired her to share her unique perspective on what it means to have effective communication. Valuing the importance of authentic communication, Makayla's TEDx talk teaches you how to be someone who can ditch the thesaurus and still win debates.

Philip Yang Yupeng

Student

Hi! I’m Philip, a rising eleventh-grader. I have interests in swimming, playing oboe, ping-pong, and volleyball. I’m really grateful for the opportunity to influence others (maybe) through the delivery of my speech. Beside from that, I’m just simply a child combating the erosion from the society and trying to stay fearless toward the unknown, exploring the world with that mindset.

Sofia Wang

Student

Sofia is a passive optimist in BISZ Grade 8. She likes to spend her spare time fantasizing about unrealistic things and squander her limited freedom. She loves philosophy and is fond of Diogenes and Camus. She is interested in design and enjoys spending her holidays in museums in the fashion capitals of the world. The ancient literary atmosphere in Florence and Istanbul deeply attracts her, while the special atmosphere of Tuscany and Izmir makes her linger. For her achievements in speech and debate, she became champion in her first year competing in public forum debate and has participated in the congressional debate of the Harvard Speech and Debate Tournament. In terms of figure skating achievements, she won consecutive ISI Invitational championships from 2019 to 2022. Indeed, her TEDx speech is all about how she got through the rough times of figure skating and speech and debate, she hopes her TEDx speech will help you overcome your mental friction and open the door to success!