High-schoolers partake in Ted-Talk inspired event

Sarah Harding: “I picked a difficult experience with success in the end because it’s applicable in everyone’s lives and every topic. I used my story of pole vaulting as the basis of my talk and the theme resonates with me. People told me I might not get far in the sport because I did not have much of an athletic career beforehand. No matter what obstacle I faced, I learned how to adapt and jump over it. I have done this talk three to four times, and no matter what happened in the passing track seasons, the essence and message remains the same: If you have a goal or a dream, never stop working for it and give it everything you’ve got.”

Park Dietz: “The experience was awesome and Vinay did a great job setting everything up. I chose my topic because time management is very important for me with all the activities I do outside of school. I wanted to share the strategies that I use and pass them on to future generations.”

James Kim: “It was a really fun experience and the kids were very interactive. Their engagement was the best part. My topic was the difficulty and importance of communication, specifically with English. I chose [the topic] because I’ve had personal experience with not knowing how to communicate. I didn’t start learning English until I was five, and it was a rough transition. My own experience showed me that the importance of language cannot be oversimplified.”

Vinay Konuru: “It was an interesting experience because you don’t get that many opportunities to speak about all the things you have learned in the last 10 years at Pine View. It was really rewarding to be able to share the experiences with the fourth and fifth graders. I talked about the importance of boldness when you come up with new ideas and not being afraid of what others may think of you. I biked around Mississippi this summer because I wanted to learn more about their poverty and why the county was suffering. I was initially really scared to do something like that because I was afraid of what people would think of me, but it ended up being an incredible experience that I would have never been able to do if I had listened to those doubts. I wanted to share that idea with all the younger students because I know that later on, they will be in a similar situation and I hope that they decide to pursue their own dreams.”