Theme: Listen

TEDx Dayton Youth provides a forum for speakers between the ages of 14-20 to share their stories and wisdom. The event is designed to encourage learning, inspiration and wonder and to provoke conversations that matter.

Roger Glass Center for the Arts
29 Creative Way
Dayton, Ohio, 45479
United States

Ethan Xiao

College Student

Ethan is a senior at Dublin Jerome High School. He is passionate about cultural understanding and entrepreneurship. Outside of academics, he competes in Speech and Debate and plays for Jerome’s tennis team. Ethan is in multiple clubs, always looking for ways to create impact. He’s deeply interested in economics and technology, striving to bridge cultures through language and innovation.

Evie Davis

High School Student

Evie is a junior at Oakwood High School, and has been a member of the girls varsity tennis team since her freshman year. While she loves the camaraderie and competition on the court, her true passions lie in her a cappella group, Synergy, and her role of captain for the Oakwood Speech and Debate Team. Through her journey of finding her strengths, she has learned the importance of listening to her body. Evie is excited to be a part of TEDx to share the story of her setback and how it can be used to educate others and be a way forward.

Evie Tinkham

High School Student

Evie is a junior at the Dayton Regional STEM School. They like to be expressive with every variable of their appearance. They’ve conquered a lot in their life and are in a place in their journey that they are comfortable enough to talk about it.

Jawaher Korichi

High School Student

Jawaher is a senior at Dublin Coffman High School. She is President of her school’s Japanese club and Event Chair for the Muslim Student Association. Growing up Arab, she experienced the effects of ignorance and misinformation firsthand, motivating her never-ending journey for knowledge and the nuances it brings. She believes anyone can become a more global citizen with just a little effort and understanding. In her free time, she enjoys writing, drawing, dancing, fashion and eating chocolates.

Maria Whisnant

High School Student

Maria started writing songs of her own accord before she was old enough to actually write the words down on paper. She is from an intensely musical family on both sides and grew up surrounded by music at all times, watching her father play his guitar and going to her mother’s choral concerts. She sung in her elementary school choir, began to earnestly “learn” an instrument at the age of nine with ill-fated piano lessons, and picked up her primary instrument, the acoustic guitar, when she was twelve.

Mary Cunningham

High School Student

Mary is a junior at The Miami Valley School. She is a choreographer and dancer who believes in living with intentionality and authenticity. Through her own journey of self-discovery, she learned the importance of pursuing passions not because they’re expected, but because they bring genuine joy. Her experiences of embracing reflection taught her to listen to herself and act with intention. She is passionate about helping others break free from routines, encouraging people to find their true identity by doing what they love, not just what they’ve been told to do.

Parth Rajput

High School Student

Parth is a junior at the Dayton Regional STEM School. He is interested in history, engineering, and architecture. Outside of school, Parth plays tennis for Troy High School and is involved with Key Club International and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Through his TEDx talk, Parth is excited to share his experience with math and how it helped him learn to be lazy.

Pragalya Arumugam

High School Student

Pragalya is a senior at Dublin Jerome High School. She is passionate about healthcare, community, and advocacy. She is involved with her school’s HOSA chapter, ASL club, Writing Team, and Key Club. She enjoys traveling, painting, jewelry making, creative writing, and volunteering. As a passionate hearing loss advocate and founder of Hear2Connect, she raises awareness by hosting community events and hearing aid drives. Through her TEDx talk, she hopes to create awareness of the societal impact of hearing loss and encourage others to take action about the causes they are passionate about.

Samia Weiner

High School Student

Samia is a sophomore at the Dayton Regional STEM School who is very passionate about her views. She plays piano and loves to go out and see new places. She loves seeing people be comfortable in who they are. It took a long time for her to be comfortable in who she is, so she will always try her best to help people along that journey.

Sid Singh

High School Student

Sid is a freshman at Centerville High School. His questionable sense of humor, passion for speaking, and status as the youngest member of his family are why he decided to give a TEDx talk. He is part of his school’s Science Olympiad team, and he coaches the MathCounts team at Magsig Middle School. In his free time, he likes to read and play video games.

Sophia Lopez-Ramirez

High School Student

Sophia is a junior at Cedarville High School who loves to learn new words. She represented the Dayton Area in the Scripps National Spelling Bee three times and explored word origins and language patterns in her studies. Through her experiences growing up with the spelling community and attending a rural school, Sophia has found an interest in both standard and non-standard forms of English. She encourages exploration of the growing English language and continues to learn about the intersections between linguistics, geography, and policy.

Taya Apalkova

High School Student

Taya is a junior at Mount Notre Dame High School and a passionate advocate for change. She leads the Multicultural Student Union, serves as Vice President of Model United Nations, participates in the Youth Philanthropy Council, and is a published author. As a Russian-Ukrainian political asylee, Taya draws on her personal experiences to champion immigrant rights, women’s empowerment, and justice for victims of the Ukraine-Russia War. She plans to study philosophy, law, and political science after high school, with the goal of educating others and fostering understanding about immigration and its impact on society.