Surrey students host inaugural TEDx event

Earl Marriott Secondary in Surrey hosted its first-ever TEDx event on June 4, bringing together eight student speakers from across British Columbia to share perspectives on topics ranging from youth homelessness and music therapy to civic engagement and personal growth.

The event was organized by Grade 11 students Wenshu Ding and Sabine Lapointe, who were inspired after attending Semiahmoo Secondary's TEDx. "How come students at our very own school don't have this opportunity?" Ding wondered. The two secured an official TEDx licence and spent months recruiting volunteers and selecting speakers from about 20 applications.

The speaker lineup included Earl Marriott students Adam Lenk, Bella Endersby, Thenuli Ruwanpura, and Michelle Liu, alongside guests Leah Wang, Alveera Wahi, and Zohra Khawaja, who travelled from communities across B.C. including South Surrey, Victoria, and Richmond.

Lenk's talk challenged the common idea of having "potential," arguing that success comes from taking action rather waiting for the right opportunity. "Throughout my whole life I've found that I was always told by teachers, peers and my parents that I had a lot of potential," he shared. "I found that throughout high school that's actually negatively impacted me because I kept passing up opportunities and not taking actions that I should have."

Endersby spoke on music therapy, inspired by her school Capstone project and volunteer work with a young family friend with autism and ADHD. "I think music therapy is really important and not very talked about in our society," she said. Her presentation explored how music builds connections and supports people through developmental disabilities, anxiety, grief, and loss.

Ding stressed the event's youth focus: "This is an opportunity for youth to get out there and share their ideas and their passions. We wanted to have an opportunity to showcase youth from across British Columbia."