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Seattle Academy Hosts TEDxYouth@Seattle

Photo of Seattle Academy hosts TedX Youth Seattle

Students Left to Right: Lex Capestany '22, Jessica Wilmot '22, Zola Morris ‘22, Ally Pfau ‘22, 

On October 27, Seattle Academy enthusiastically hosted the first-ever TEDxYouth event in Seattle. TEDxYouth@Seattle was designed to empower and inspire young people to share ideas worth spreading.  In addition to hosting this event on our campus, we had SAAS alumni, students, faculty, and staff engaged with all aspects of the program. VIEW PHOTOS

Over 600 youth and adult attendees heard from a diverse group of youth speakers ages 13-21, including a keynote presentation from a SAAS alum, Olivia Brandon ‘19.  A freshman at the University of Washington, Olivia shared her story of trying to mitigate carbon emissions in Zambia.  

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Our first speaker: Olivia Brandon! @tedxyouthseattle

A post shared by TEDxYouth@Seattle (@tedxyouthseattle) on

Attendees also participated in several sensory interactive experiences designed to encourage attendees to create and express ideas. We’re proud of six Seattle Academy students who hosted interactive polar graph boards, inviting attendees to respond to compelling questions on topics they’re passionate about.  Students and their topics:

  • Zach Cohen ‘20: Suicide Prevention: What is Effective? 
  • Sadie Cook ‘20: The Reach of Reproductive Awareness - Sex Education: Where are you? 
  • Laila Pickett ‘20: The Reality of Representation - Diversity and Inclusion: Where are you? 
  • Mia Pickett ‘22: Affinity in Action: When it comes to my race…?
  • Hersh Powers ‘24: LGBTQ Inclusion in Schools and the Workplace: When it comes to LGBTQ inclusion...
  • Sam Rawlins ‘20: The Call of Community: If I pledge to be involved in community service in the next year...

Other interactive experiences included a King County Metro Bus and their Metro Idea Map and a Washington State Employees Credit Union (WSECU) Creation Station.

Several SAAS students worked for months behind the scenes with the broader TEDxYouth@Seattle team to make this event a reality. Julia Welton ‘20 and Clayton Wiley ‘21 were stage managers; Brooke Mihlstin '22 co-managed social media; Fiona Kubalak ‘21 and Stella Mercer ‘21 were volunteer event coordinators, along with other volunteers Noah Brown ‘22, Lex Capestany ‘22, Zola Morris ‘22, Ally Pfau ‘22, and Jessica Wilmot ‘22. Everyone on the team worked hard to ensure this event ran smoothly for everyone. 

Seattle Academy’s Dean of Innovations, Lysie Taylor spearheaded and advocated for Seattle Academy to host this inaugural TEDxYouth@Seattle event early in 2019.  She was also a pivotal member of the event planning team that included other TEDxYouth volunteers across greater Seattle, in addition to SAAS staff spanning multiple teams including Facilities, Marketing and Communications, Technology, and Transportation.

The spirit and intention of TEDxYouth@Seattle aligns with our mission to challenge students to question, imagine, and create in order to contribute boldly to a changing world. We’re proud to host this sold-out event and we look forward to future opportunities to partner with TEDxYouth@Seattle!