2019 Speakers

Crystal Chan is a junior at Lowell High School in San Francisco, California. Crystal is the Founder and Executive Director of SPACE4US, a community program that connects underprivileged high school students with professional resources. In her talk, Crystal explores why connecting socioeconomically disadvantaged high school students with professional resources is essential for achieving economic and social equality.

Check out Crystal’s Video Here

Olivia Delfs is a junior at Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory in San Francisco. Among her many interests, Olivia serves on KQED’s Youth Advisory Board and is a competitive soccer player. Her true joy can be found surfing and bringing surfing to others through her work at City Surf Project, a non-profit organization that connects inner-city youth in the Bay Area to the ocean through surfing. In her talk, she explores the many ways that surfing can heal different people from a multitude of backgrounds.

Check out Olivia’s Video Here

Elizabeth Flaherman is a senior at San Francisco University High School. Learning about her great-great-grandfather’s role in Ireland’s early 20th century Celtic Revival piqued her interest in Ireland as a model for cultural decolonization.

Check out Elizabeth’s Video Here

Jennifer Kazaryan, a senior at Sacred Heart Preparatory, is a first generation student whose parents immigrated from Armenia. She actively participates in different community service groups at school including the Voter Action Club and the Lasallian Vincentian Youth organization. Her talk explores the importance of genocide education and the effect that the Armenian genocide had on her family.

Check out Jennifer’s Video Here

Theresa Lim is a junior at Sacred Heart Preparatory. Theresa loves all things STEM. This year, she carried out an interdisciplinary research project combining her passions for biology, computer programming, and statistics. In her talk, she will explore the advantages of an interdisciplinary learning space over a single-subject classroom environment.

Check out Theresa’s Video Here

Sabrina Tripp, Kalyn Dawes, and Kate Larsen (left to right) are youth members of Marin County Search and Rescue (MSAR). Kalyn and Sabrina are both sophomores - Kalyn at Redwood High School and Sabrina at Tamalpais High School. Kate is a senior at Drake High School. They have, collectively, spent more than 2500 hours in the past 18 months in training and on missions, averaging more than 20 missions each. They are all qualified Emergency Medical Responders and have numerous other qualifications between them including Helicopters in Search and Rescue, Wilderness First Responder, and Rope Rescue. Their interview explores their experiences as youth members of MSAR and the important roles that teenagers can play.

Check out Sabrina, Kalyn, and Kate’s Video Here

Indigo Mudbhary, a freshman at Lick-Wilmerding High School, loves running, reading, and is passionate about politics. In her talk, Indigo shares with us how she has worked to build a healthy relationship with digital devices and explores their impact on our lives.

Check out Indigo’s Video Here

Kaila Nobriga-Allen is a freshman at Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory. When she isn’t at school, she likes to throw the javelin, relax with family and friends, and perform theatrical pieces. Kaila loves musical theater, dancing, and impromptu improv! She will be speaking about the power of singing and how ten minutes of singing every day can increase your happiness, decrease your stress and anxiety, and change the world.

Check out Kaila’s Video Here

Amy La is a junior at Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory. She is an editor of the school’s newspaper, The Emerald, and plays golf during the fall season. Her experiences with culture in her life have made her passionate about exploring the way we form identities from our various cultural backgrounds. Her talk addresses the tensions that arise as we establish our own identities.

Check out Amy’s Video Here

Kai Levenson-Cupp is a junior at Alameda Science and Technology Institute in Alameda, and an activist for a wide range of social issues, most notably climate justice. He is dedicated to stopping the climate crisis and bringing about solutions to global environmental change through social and political actions. His talk explores the impact of climate change and our approach to dealing with it.

Check out Kai’s Video Here

Riley Thompson is a senior at San Francisco University High School. Her lifelong passion for writing has inspired her work with The Beat Within, an organization that uses the written word to empower incarcerated individuals. She hopes to use her talk to humanize an issue that is so often considered in the abstract as well as reinforce the power of writing as a common framework for our shared understanding.

Check out Riley’s Video Here

Hayden Whitcomb is a junior at Sacred Heart Cathedral. An avid athlete, Hayden has played football, rowed crew, and played water polo competitively. He is a leader of SHC’s Student Launch Initiative and has recently begun training for Track and Field, specifically Discus Throwing and Shot Putt. His talk follows his path of resilience from enduring painful experiences to attaining the mindset of patience and perseverance.

Check out Hayden’s Video Here