Bios
We are excited to announce the 2026 TEDxKelownaYouth speaker lineup!
Aditi Bhowmik
Age: 15
Grade: 10
School: Kelowna Secondary School
Favourite TED Talk: How great leaders inspire action - Simon Sinek
Title of Own Talk: Happiness Advocacy - For Real!
Bio: Hi, my name is Aditi, a Grade 10 student at Kelowna Secondary School. I’m interested in what helps people feel connected, purposeful, and genuinely happy. A lot of my curiosity comes from noticing how small actions - like volunteering, creating something with others, or simply bringing people together - can have a bigger impact than we expect.
Leon Hecht
Age: 7
Grade: 2
School: Glenmore Elementary School
Favourite TED Talk: Never Give Up - Badal Patel
Title of Own Talk: ADHD & Me
Bio: I am a curious kid who loves science and understanding how things work. I enjoy asking big questions and thinking about new ideas. I like exploring, learning, and finding creative ways to solve problems. I care about helping other kids feel confident in themselves and proud of the way their brains work.
Joyceline Irene
Age: 18
Grade: 12
School: Kelowna Secondary School
Favourite TED Talk: One woman, eight hilarious characters - Sarah Jones
Title of Own Talk: Seeing Invisible Systems Clearly
Bio: My name is Joyceline Irene, currently a grade 12 student at Kelowna Secondary School. I was born in Indonesia and moved to British Columbia in 2023. My main hobby is dance, I enjoy competing, performing and constantly growing in it. Academically, I hope to pursue both Science and Business after high school, bridging 2 different but such important fields in life. The variety of fields I want to explore has inspired me to talk about Invisible Systems, systems that invisibly affect us everywhere. It often gets overlooked and hopefully my talk can make a positive impact on people!
Clare (Yoonseul) Kim
Age: 15
Grade: 10
School: Kelowna Secondary School
Favourite TED Talk: Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance - Angela Lee Duckworth
Title of Own Talk: Agency and Resilience in an Unfair World
Bio: My name is Clare Yoonseul Kim, and I am a Grade 10 student at Kelowna Secondary School in British Columbia. I was born in South Korea and moved to Montreal at the age of seven before relocating to Kelowna in 2024. Experiencing different cultures and school systems has shaped the way I think about opportunity, identity, and the structures that quietly influence people's lives.
Tran Thai An (Anna) Le
Age: 17
Grade: 11
School: Rutland Senior Secondary
Favourite TED Talk: How Language Shapes the Way We Think - Lera Boroditsk
Title of Own Talk: Comparison: The Misjudged Villain
Bio: My name is Lê Trần Thái An and you can call me Anna Le. I was born in Huế, Vietnam, and later moved to British Columbia, Canada, where I am currently a Grade 11 student at Rutland Senior Secondary. Growing up between two cultures has broadened my perspective and shaped how I perceive challenges such as identity, comparison, and motivation. As a student who has experienced both Asian and Western educational environments, I have learned that comparison is something we all encounter, but its impact varies depending on interpretation. In either way, it does not define “who I am”; instead, it guides growth. As a TEDxYouth Kelowna speaker, I share a personal story, introduce a fresh perspective on comparison, and to spark curiosity about how it can guide growth for people at different stages of life.
Carter Mochinski
Age: 17
Grade: 12
School: George Elliot Secondary
Favourite TED Talk: Electoral Dysfunction and Reform - Elizabeth May
Title of Own Talk: Reducing inequalities for learners: a new approach
Bio: My name is Carter Mochinski, and I am 17 years old. I live in Lake Country, BC, on the unceded traditional territory of the sylix Okanagan peoples. I am a passionate change maker and a highly involved youth community leader. I am most passionate about making a change in reducing inequalities (specifically for those with neurological divergence) and for the climate, while considering Indigenous knowledge and ways of being to “see through two eyes”. I believe that climate change is not just an environmental issue but also a human rights issue. I am enthusiastic about innovative education systems and improving learning for all. Through personal experience, I have learnt about how learning has a profound impact on our youth and how the opportunities it offers change lives, which is why I am passionate about improving the education system.
Bella Montana
Age: 13
Grade: 7
School: Constable Neil Bruce Middle
Favourite TED Talk: The Danger of a Single Story - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Title of Own Talk: Use Your Voice. Live Your Truth
Bio: I am a singer, songwriter, and actress who loves using music to share stories and connect with people. When I was younger, I experienced bullying, and it taught me how powerful it is when someone stands up for you. I wrote a song about that experience and performed it at an open mic. My Choir teacher heard the song and invited me to perform it at our End of the Year School assembly, and also recommended me to sing the national anthem at the Montana’s Brier 2025, Canada's national men's curling championship in Kelowna. My TEDx talk is about using our voices to support one another and helping people feel brave enough to follow their dreams.
Vann Richmond
Age: 17
Grade: 12
School: Rutland Senior Secondary
Favourite TED Talk: The Power of Vulnerability - Brené Brown
Title of Own Talk: The Power of Laughter Yoga
Bio: My name is Vann, I am a grade 12 student at Rutland Senior Secondary, and I enjoy making new connections any chance I get. In my free time outside of studying and volunteering, I enjoy staying active and spending time with friends. I play rugby throughout the year, go skiing in the winter, surf in the summer, and take every opportunity to hang out with my friends. I am passionate about building community and spreading joy. I hope that after my TED talk, you walk away with the skills to spread joy and strengthen your communities.
May Samra & Sena Gozel
Age: 16 and 17
Grade: 11
School: Okanagan Mission Secondary
Favourite TED Talk: How to Tap into Your Awareness - Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche
Title of Own Talk: You Don't Matter
Bio: We’re Sena and May, Grade 11 students at Okanagan Mission Secondary who are fascinated by the big questions people usually avoid, questions about meaning, identity, and why humans feel such a strong need to matter. Through debate, writing, and long conversations, we often find ourselves challenging the assumptions people grow up believing about success, importance, and purpose. Our talk was inspired by one uncomfortable question: what if we don’t matter as much as we think? Instead of seeing that idea as depressing, we began to see it as strangely freeing.
Alp Topcu
Age: 16
Grade: 10
School: Okanagan Mission Secondary
Favourite TED Talk: Don't fear intelligent machines. Work with them - Garry Kasparo
Title of Own Talk: AI Illiteracy: My Generation's Cognitive Threat
Bio: I am Alp Topcu, a Grade 10 student at Okanagan Mission Secondary. I believe the biggest threat AI poses to my generation isn't robots taking our jobs; it’s that we don't know how to use it correctly, which is quietly eroding our ability to think for ourselves. As a national-level competitive chess player, I know that thinking is a skill requiring constant training. Seeing my peers use AI to skip the thinking process entirely, a phenomenon I call "cognitive atrophy", is what inspired my TEDx talk. To fight this, my brother and I co-founded ClickPrompt.ai to help teenagers articulate their intentions and build better prompts. After high school, I plan to pursue a double degree in mathematics and computer science. When I’m not coding, or at the chessboard, I like to stay active by working out, skiing, and playing various sports with friends.
