TEDxRedmond

I'm going to link to Maya's post here because I think she said it beautifully: TEDxRedmond last night was such a successful event - fun and inspiring for everyone! The theme was "Power to the Students!" and we had an amazing lineup of speakers and performers (all kids!) share their ideas and experiences at the event.

I was one of the speakers (the first one, in fact) and it was a wonderful experience - the other speakers and the whole audience were so supportive! It was so weird when during every break, I was called for interviews. I definitely was not expecting that! It was awesome when some kids asked me for my autograph though. And a few people Tweeted about my speech! :P

As one of the event organizers as well, it was relieving to see the event pulled off so successfully and professionally without any glitches. I think there will be videos of the event up soon - for those who didn't attend, I think everyone (students, teachers, parents, and more) can get something out of this conference by watching the talks online.

I think this event really proved to people how much potential kids have. The whole event was planned solely by kids (although we did need a little adult help for sponsorship, etc.), and when we see what amazing things all the speakers and performers were able to accomplish, it's very empowering and inspiring.

Here are a couple pictures to leave you with:

Maya and I standing next to a piece of the Berlin Wall, housed in the Microsoft Convention Center:

From left to right: Me, Jordan Romero (currently the youngest person to climb Mt. Everest!), Maya, and Zoe Sprankle (one of the performers at TEDxRedmond who has an amazing voice!)