“A lot of the time, just knowing me, I don’t usually take risks because I know what I like,” Valor McGrath ’28 said.
Yet on Saturday, April 25, she stepped out of her comfort zone and spoke at the Upper School (US) inaugural TEDx event before an audience of students and faculty, she said. Valor said she saw posters recruiting speakers and decided to apply.
“I thought ‘How many people do a TED talk?’ So I was like, I might as well just sign up. I was still really nervous … but I thought it was also good practice, writing a speech and performing it.”
The event was an opportunity for students to deliver speeches centered around the theme of redefining success. Nathan Minn ’28, one of the student organizers, had the idea from seeing peer schools host student TEDx talks.
“I saw this was happening at other ISL schools,” he said. “My sister does it at her school, so I thought it would be a good thing to bring here.”
Inspiring the community was one of Nathan’s goals for the event.
“I got some new ideas about what success is,” he said. “I think the other people there did too. Even the speakers, just hearing them be able to think about that themselves while they’re preparing their talks, I think they also benefit.”
James Tao ’29 focused his talk on Jerry Donovan, a pioneer of adaptive golf infrastructure and accessibility. After a truck accident paralyzed Donovan from the waist down, he dedicated his life to making golf accessible for people with similar disabilities.
“My topic was a big part of why I got involved because it’s such an inspirational story that I want to share with more people because of how he shifted his focus from achievement and life goals to helping other people out,” James said.
Even with weeks of preparation, James was anxious about his delivery.
“You have to speak a lot slower to calm down your nerves,” he said. “A big part of it was also trying to enunciate the most important parts. In practice, that is pretty easy, but in front of an audience, you tend to tense up, and you tend to speak not as clearly as you normally would.”
Audience member Vartan Arakelian ’26 found that the event’s theme of redefining success reshaped his view on his four years at the US.
“In the thick of the high school grind, it is very easy to lose sight of what matters most,” Vartan said. “If you define success as getting into a good college, then sure, high grades and leadership positions will get you there. However, if you spend four years only chasing that shiny diploma and acceptance letter, you risk missing out on so much.”
He heard about how others found success without focusing on material gain and applied the same principles to his own life.
“Beyond academics, the pursuit of personal growth, connections with other people and the formation of worthwhile memories are what make a high school journey fulfilling and successful,” he said.
US History Teacher Xavier Vazquez expressed his admiration for the student speakers.
“Seeing them reach outside of the comfort zone and seeing them speak with such confidence at such an early age, I think a lot of the audience was impressed and taken aback by that element of them being so young, but being so confident in their engagement with the audience,” he said.
