Students organize TEDxSaratogaHighSchool event

The school is hosting TEDxSaratogaHighSchool, a TEDx licensed, independently organized TED-like event, in the Thermond Drama Center on Dec. 7 from 4 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $10, and the audience is limited to 100 members.

Speakers will include CEO of Intel Micron Flash, Keyvan Esfarjani; founders of Hendo Hover, Jill and Greg Henderson; and science teacher Lisa Cochrum. Esfarjani and the Hendersons are successful financial examples and Cochrum is a memorable teacher with many insightful experiences.

The event was put together by juniors Kabir Manghnani and Edwin Pan and sophomore Nicole Lin. Manghnani is the event curator, Pan is the marketing and publicity lead and Lin is the budgeting lead.

Pan said the decision to organize the event came instinctively after he had gotten the idea from a friend.

“I've always watched TED videos in my free time — and not-free-time, more often than I'd like to admit — so the decision to do this organizing came naturally,” Pan said. “Honestly, it just felt right; you'll be surprised how far that inexplicable drive can take you.”

In order to get speakers, the team sent formal invitations to working adults, then made sure they understood the TEDx rules and requirements.

“Planning is actually both very exciting and very demanding,” Manghnani said. “The thrill that you get from accomplishing things within it is amazing, and it feels great to be working with some of the brightest minds in the Valley.”

According to Pan, the team’s goal for the event is to bring light to unshared ideas of the community.

“The speakers we invite are not based off of merit or achievement, but the value of the idea that they have to share,” Pan said. “In the end, what makes TED such a great platform to model is that it highlights and places value on our individual district thoughts, in a world where achievement is the dominant aspect of a person’s life.”

Pan added that the team wants the event to provide a chance for people to exchange and share ideas.

So far, the team has created a Facebook page and flyers to advertise the event.

“TEDxSaratogaHighSchool truly is something special, and I guarantee that you will not leave the conference without a new idea or viewpoint spinning in your head,” Pan said. “It’s an experience that you cannot miss.”