TEDxClinton Central School

Dan Blanchard is a Bestselling and Award-Winning Author, Speaker, Educator, TV Host, and philanthropist featured on over 100 TV and radio shows and several of the World’s Top Ten Podcasts. Dan is also a two-time Junior Olympian Wrestler, two-time Junior Olympian Wrestling Coach, and a veteran of the Army and Air Force. He grew up as a student-athlete and is the first to admit that there was more athlete than a student back in high school. Now, to make up for it, he completed 14 years of college and earned seven degrees.

Dan is a Special Education teacher in Connecticut teaching social studies classes at an alternative high school. He is a Teacher Consultant for the University of Connecticut’s Writing Project and the face and voice for educational reform for the American Federation of Teachers. Dan is also the president of the Teen leadership Network and the Association of Publishers for Special Sales.

As an educator, coach, tutor, author, speaker, columnist, blogger, and parent of five, Dan feels he must positively influence our youth every chance he gets! He lives with his wife, Jennifer, their children, and their family dog, Willow, in Connecticut.

Xiang “Leo” Liu Is a 9th-grade student, and even though he's 15 years old, he already has a lot of different projects on his plate: Leo is the owner of Super Meteors Basketball, an AAU Basketball

club that has already had two seasons, and is planning its third. Leo's greatest passion is taking on challenges, and to him nothing is as exciting as trying to change the world. Leo has previously spoken at a previous TEDx event, TEDxEustis, where he gave

his speech titled "Building Connections Between Generations," a theme that he later built on in his book, "A World Split in Two: Generational Division." In both his talk and book, Leo emphasizes that if we want progress to be made in the world, then we're

all going to have to slow down and listen to each other: without perspective, it's hard to progress. Recently, Leo has also started a multimedia project titled "Educate the Globe," which aims to encourage connection between teachers and students with both

an annual publication and a podcast.

Lucas Mazzei, a soon-to-be-13-year-old, has a huge heart and a love for dogs that knows no bounds. Drawing and creating masterpieces are his passions, and he pours his soul into every piece. He has a little brother named Vincent whom he adores. Despite his young age, he takes pride in the small things and has a heart full of support and compassion for all. His favorite color is purple, and he enjoys spending time with his friends and savoring delicious food. He is exceptional in his field and always strives to do his best. His eagerness to help others is unwavering, and he hopes that you will join him in making a difference.

Meet Lizzie, a remarkable student leader who serves as the Student Council President of her school. She deeply values her relationships with her friends, family, and her school community. Her exceptional commitment to philanthropy earned her recognition as a recipient of the Hundred Heroes Award. In addition to her leadership skills, Lizzie is a multitalented artist, writer, and actor, who pursues her passions with equal enthusiasm. Her experience in leadership and creativity has inspired her to become a teacher in the future, where she aims to share her unique insights and experiences with her students.

Warren is a 9-year-old, 4th grader, who is a proud Boy Scout. Born in New York, Warren is bi-lingual, speaking Sinhala, the official language of Sri Lanka. His speaking journey started when he was four years old, at his first presentation was at a cultural show in Staten Island. Warren is working on his Presidential Volunteer Service Award. He is highly involved with VFW and is a regular volunteer. He is in the school choir team and band, a drummer and pianist. His cultural drum activity was also featured in an international children’s TV program. He is a gardener and has been featured in international newspapers and on TV. He was a member

of “Muthuhara”; (Children’s Talent showcase group) and Sunday school. He is an athlete, and he is involved in tennis, basketball, swimming, and soccer. He is a good cook and a pet lover; his pets are a dog (Ace), a hamster, a guinea pig, a goldfish, and a turtle.

Sucheta Rawal is an award-winning South Asian food and travel writer contributing to over

two dozen publications including TIME Magazine, CNN, Travel+Leisure, HuffPost and AAA.

Sucheta is a five time author of 'Beato Goes To' series of children's books that educate kids

about the diversity of the world. She has personally traveled to over 100 countries across

seven continents and writes about her experiences from her firsthand perspective. She also

founded the non-profit, Go Eat Give, to raise awareness of different cultures through travel,

food and community service. Sucheta’s mission is to promote meaningful and sustainable

travel for the betterment of the global community.

Read more at www.suchetarawal.com

John Shableski is a nationally recognized expert in the development of the graphic novel/manga/comics category for the publishing industry including bookstores, libraries, and classrooms. He has served as a judge for the Eisner Awards and the Lynd Ward Prize at Penn State. He helped create and launch the Will Eisner Graphic Novel Grant program for the American Library Association and he also helped develop the Excellence in Graphic Literature Awards for Pop Culture Classroom. Along with editorial development, design, and strategic planning, his scope of expertise includes the study of industry trends and market development. He has been a guest speaker for schools, conferences, book shows, comics and gaming conventions across the country and around the planet.

Dr. Sugi is originally from Sri Lanka. She is a licensed psychotherapist, a certified substance abuse clinician. She is a strategic leader and a motivational speaker as well. Dr. Sugi has worked in Behavioral Health, Mental Health, quality, research, and Substance Abuse Counseling for over 20 years. Her educational journey in Sri Lanka, India, the United Kingdom, and the United States helped her to learn coping strategies and leadership skills. Dr. Sugi completed her Doctorate from Liberty University, and is affiliated with Sigma Beta Delta and Omega Nu Lambda Honor Societies. In addition, she is a Six Sigma Black Belt and a member of the American Counseling Association. She also serves as a chairwoman for youth at the VFW. She has been selected/accepted to the roster for the Fulbright Specialist Program. Dr. Sugi is a volunteer TED translator/ reviewer/ language supervisor and has two YouTube channels in Sinhala and English on Mental Health and empowering individuals.

Sindhu Surapaneni is a creative artist, cultural enthusiast, dancer,international storyteller, TEDx speaker, change-maker, and student body president at Selkirk Middle School—all at just 14 years old!

At the age of 11, she became an art instructor, guiding over 400 free creative sessions on Zoom and Facebook Live to provide an outlet for other kids like herself during the pandemic. Sindhu began offering art workshops and selling her artwork, donating more than $20,000 to charities that support low-income families and the homeless.

You can find her artwork displayed in Washington and New York public schools, city halls, libraries, universities, health facilities, and credit unions. Sindhu has won numerous honors for her volunteer work, including the Gold Presidential Volunteer Service Award (twice), the title of young woman leader, the Spokane Young Philanthropy Award, and the Most Inspiring Youth Award.

She's been featured on several local and international media outlets, with her story being broadcasted over thirty times around the world through different news channels to further spread her mission and impact.

Sindhu runs Imaginations2Creation, a nonprofit with the dual goal of producing art that embodies positivity, and hope. You can learn more about her philanthropy work at www.facebook.com/i2csindhu and www.imaginations2creation.org

Sri Nihal Tammana is a 13-year-old schoolboy and environmental campaigner from Edison, New Jersey. He was inspired to act when he learned that 15 billion batteries are thrown away each year around the world. Most end up in landfills where they pollute groundwater, harm the ecosystem, and cause catastrophic fires. Nihal first learned of these issues at age 10 and began collecting used batteries from his community.

In 2019, he founded the nonprofit organization Recycle My Battery to promote and facilitate the recycling of used batteries. The organization installs free battery recycling bins and educates young people and adults about battery recycling. In a little over 3 years, Nihal has built a team of over 325 student volunteers globally, recycled over 265,000 used batteries, and educated over 12.5 million people. For his work, he has won multiple international awards and gained recognition from politicians, business leaders, and his peers.

Nihal is focused on expanding Recycle My Battery to other parts of the world, and his motto continues to inspire young people that they too can make a difference: “If I can make Earth a better place to live, you can! If you can make Earth a better place to live, we all can!”

Jermiko Thomas is a passionate Entrepreneur, Speaker and International Award-Winning Author who has earned the reputation as an up-and-coming success mogul. Growing up, he didn’t start talking until he was six years old also learned sign language. While doctors deemed him to be mentally slow, he still persevered and ended up testing out of the resource program in his junior year of high school. Harnessing the innate power of knowledge and reading any book he could get his hands on, his life underwent a complete transformation, and he ultimately made it his purpose to help people dismantle those no outlet signs once and for all.

Jermiko strongly believes that no road block is too large. Similarly, no dream is too big, so he encourages his clients to overcome any challenges that come their way and chase after their dreams relentlessly and unapologetically. In sharing his story, he strives to awaken the infinite potential in others, for that is one of the key ingredients to paving the path to lasting success.

Allen Guy Wilcox was born in Cooperstown, NY, and raised on his family’s farm, Woodshill Homestead, in Sauquoit. He graduated from Middlebury College in Vermont with a degree in English literature and minor in Religion, and lived and worked for fifteen years in NYC before returning to the farm, where he now lives with his wife and daughter. In 2016, Allen helped found The Theater at Woodshill, a 501(c)3 non-profit Shakespeare theater company, where he serves as Artistic Director. On the stage at Woodshill he has performed the roles of Benedick, Orlando, Hamlet, Oberon, and Theseus, and he made his directorial debut in 2022 with a production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Allen is also the founder of Time’s Arrow, a new way of exploring great literature online in a highly contextualized, multimedia-supported environment. In all his pursuits he endeavors to maintain a spirit of welcoming and invitation that he learned from his mother, Mary Mizzi Wilcox. Discover more at woodshill.org & timesarrow.org.

Jack Wilson, a 7th grader studying at CCS, has a passion for Formula One racing and a heart full of love for dogs. His incredible skills in robotics and engineering led him to participate in the FIRST Lego League, where he emerged victorious in the competition. He is a proud dog owner of an adorable canine named Ellie, whom he cherishes dearly. Being the only child in his family, his favorite color, red, reflects his energetic and passionate personality. Alongside his love for pizza and chocolate, he enjoys exploring the world and learning about new cultures.