TEDxYouth debuts in Sioux Falls: Featuring 15 students

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) - Sioux Falls Superintendent Dr. Jane Stavem helped bring TEDxYouth to the area, allowing 15 Sioux Falls School District students to share their stories and opinions.

The event is scheduled for Friday, March 24, 2023, at 7 p.m., according to a press release from the Sioux Falls School District. Tickets for the TEDxSioux Falls Youth event are $5 for students and $15 for adults. Purchases are made through PayPal. Tickets will be under your name at the “will call” table on the night of the event.

Sioux Falls Superintendent Dr. Jane Stavem meets regularly with high school students. She recognized the need for the District’s leading young thinkers and doers to have an amplified voice in the community, and it sparked her own idea worth sharing – an annual TEDx event for students.

“I am constantly impressed by the passion, knowledge, and desire for further growth displayed by our students. I have the privilege of hearing their ideas, their concerns, and their solutions to issues they face when I meet with them. The community deserves to hear from them, too, and standing on the ‘big red dot’ at our first TEDx Sioux Falls Youth event is just another step toward connecting our students and community,” said Dr. Stavem.

Dr. Todd Novak, Jefferson Freshman Academy Coordinator, is the event’s lead organizer. Teachers from each Sioux Falls Public high school and Novak evaluated 39 applications and selected 15 students to participate in the inaugural event. Speakers have practiced weekly since January to receive coaching to develop their ideas and presentations.

“Our students are very invested in and excited for the TEDxSioux Falls Youth event. This is an opportunity like none other and students are working hard to perfect their presentations,” said Novak.

TEDxSioux Falls Youth speakers and their ideas worth spreading follow:

· Audrey Akkerman – Risking It All to Stay Connected

· Isabela Azumatan Aceituno – What Happens When You’ve Reached Your Life’s Goal?

· Masha Doering – A Fish Out of Water

· Luis Gaspar – The Story and Importance of Mental Health

· Jenisha Gurung – Home is Where the Heart Is – Not Where People Tell You It Is

· Beneyam Hassen – The Expectation of Happiness

· Alexis Hopp – Art is Expression

· Zouhera Mahamed – The Fear of Failure is Holding Us Back

· Aayush Mohapatra – The “Art” of Programming

· Moriah Mulamba – Transferring Your Tools to Power Opportunity

· Sunday Rose – Am I Congolese or American?

· Will Schmidt – How Safe Are You Really?

· Carter Van Ruler – The Importance of the Journey

· Joudy Wahbi – Is Our Universe A Line or A Circle?

· Ida Pickner - The Hidden Health Crisis Affecting Children in America

TED is a nonprofit organization that provides a platform for polished speakers to share short talks to spark conversation, connection, and community. TEDx events in Sioux Falls are licensed by Thadeus Giedd. Sioux Falls Public Schools Education Foundation is the sole sponsor.