2015 Organizers

Alice Held is a senior at Community High School who has participated in TEDxYouth@AnnArbor in two ways; last year, she spoke about drug and alcohol addiction, and this year, she is an event organizer. Next year she will be attending The Evergreen State College. She stands as an advocate for many issues, but most specifically her work is geared toward giving a voice to those who have gone unheard due to mass incarceration and racial discrimination in the United States criminal justice system. Aside from tackling heavy issues, you can frequently find her curled up with her cat, Aesop.

Basil Baccouche is a junior at Pioneer High School with a strong social presence in Ann Arbor schools. He plays football, hosted Future Stars 2015, and is a member of a state championship Ethics team that is advancing to Nationals this spring. In addition, Baccouche does Pioneer's morning announcements and takes immense pleasure in interacting with other people. In his spare time, he loves to photograph sunsets and attract women, but unfortunately, his free time is severely limited because he exists in a constant state of doing homework.

Chloe Weise is a junior at Rudolf Steiner High school. She became involved in the organization of TEDx last year through her brother, and chose to participate again this year. She runs cross country, plays soccer, and is a student leader in her school hiking club.

Nina D’Ascenzo is a junior at Greenhills School. She is an active member of her school’s Gay-Straight Alliance, Students Speaking Out Against Racism, Open Dialogues (a sexual assault awareness group), and the International Thespians Society. She is a heavy advocate for social issues, such as LGBT+ and feminist rights, both within her school and her community. In her spare time, she enjoys reading and building her fashion stylist portfolio. This is her first year being involved with TEDxYouth Ann Arbor.

Peter Michaelides is a senior at Greenhills School. He is actively involved in his school’s community through theatre, sports and leadership roles. This is his first year being involved with TEDx and he is excited and grateful to be a part of the process to create this event.

My name is Alexandra Cash and I am a junior at Skyline High School. I enjoy playing basketball and softball for Skyline and I am a part of the Black Student Union. I am going to college and majoring in communications, then furthering my career in broadcasting and media. I am going to change the face of television, I am the future.

I’m Anna Krauss and I’m a senior at Greenhills School. I have spent my last year in high school working on various activism/awareness and volunteer projects, my most important being one to make the healthcare system more transgender inclusive. I hope to continue such projects and eventually become a social worker.

Connor Ward is a junior at Skyline High School and is involved in Skyline Student Action Senate, Science Olympiad and the Red Cross Club. He enjoys reading, spending time with his siblings (ice skating and playing volleyball), and weekends. He helped volunteer at the TEDxYouth@AnnArbor last year and is excited to be helping organize it this year!

Olivia Popp is a junior at Skyline High School with a passion for the arts, media, and the integration of science and technology with both. She has been designing brand graphics, films, and creating marketing collateral for academic organizations all through middle and high school and this year for TEDxYouth@AnnArbor. She spends her free time divided between Skyline Student Action Senate, Skyline Science Olympiad, the Michigan Youth Symphony Orchestra, and volunteering at the Michigan Theater. When Olivia is not involved in extracurriculars or academic pursuits, she enjoys producing short films, songwriting, improving her Rubik’s cube solve time, and listening to the world in color with perfect pitch.

Sarah Price, Rudolf Steiner School

Sarah McCurrach , Senior Huron High School

My name is Hailey Anderson and I am a junior at Pioneer. I'm very passionate about music and I've been a part of the Pioneer Symphony Band for the past two years. I also partake in Pioneer Theatre Guild, and I look forward to what's to come during and beyond my senior year.

Joshua Na is a senior at Skyline High School who has assisted with the organization of the TEDxYouth@AnnArbor event for the past two years. He is the president of his small learning committee in Student Action Senate as well as a delegate of the National Honor Society at his school. He will be attending Michigan State University in the fall in order to pursue a career in pharmaceutics. He hopes that the experience he obtains through his studies and journeys in college will help him to mold a niche within the contemporary world around us. When not stressing over his academics, you may often find him expressing himself through the medium of cuisine.

Shreya Menon is a junior at Skyline High School. She is a part of the Student Action Senate, Science Olympiad, and Forensics speech team at her school. She has a passion for science and math and is interested in pursuing scientific research. Because she sees research as a collaborative enterprise, she tries to use her free time to help support and foster the research and education of students like herself, so as to help train the next generation of America’s scientists. After volunteering at last year's TEDxYouth@AnnArbor event, she is excited to be one of the organizers this year.

Chris Young is a junior at Skyline High School and is involved in music programs within Skyline and across the state as a violist. Chris’s enjoys playing chamber music, playing basketball at the YMCA, and listening to music. This is Chris’s first year of involvement with TEDxYouth@AnnArbor.

Conrad Stoll is a Senior at Skyline High School and a student in the Ann Arbor Student Building Industries Program. Conrad is involved in Skyline Student Action Senate, a member of the Quiz Bowl team and an avid debater in the Junior State of America. His interests include reading, building things, outdoor recreation, and politics. He will study engineering next year. This is his second year as a TEDxYouth@Ann Arbor organizer.

Jake Tyner is a junior at Washtenaw International High School

Laith Quasem, Junior, Central Academy

Shane Ham, Huron High School