Theme: What's Next?

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, speakers present TEDTalks to spark deep discussion and connection within a community. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED conference.

Travis High School is proud to present this year's TEDx conference theme: Society, What's Next? In the modern day, fatalistic messages about the future sensationalized in the media can paralyze people into a hopeless mindset about world issues. It is crucial that we understand that progress comes from a solution oriented mindset. Through this program, we hope to overcome pessimistic perceptions and inspire youth to view the issues plaguing our society from a different lens.

Questions, comments, concerns? Please contact us at tedxtravishighschool@gmail.com. Thank you for your support!

Travis High School
11111 Harlem Road
Richmond, Texas, 77406
United States

Agustín Ríos

Climatetech Activist

Agustin Rios has a background in industrial engineering. His passion for renewable energy has brought him to his current profession as the Chief Operations Officer at Lignium Energy, a groundbreaking start-up that has found a method to transform cow manure into combustible pellets to reduce the use of fossil fuels and lower carbon emissions. Mr. Rios’s successful start with the company in Chile did not go unnoticed, and he was placed in charge of establishing its operations in the U.S.

Andrew Lu

Community Engagement Director

Andrew Lu serves as the Community Engagement Director for the FBISD Equity Coalition, a collective of alumni and current students from Fort Bend ISD who have come together to address racial and educational inequalities within the district. The coalition aims to implement a set of demands for changes in district policies and daily actions. As Community Engagement Director, he is responsible for participating in district board meetings, interacting with local stakeholders, and managing coalition projects.

Anjali Narayanan

Climate Activist

Anjali works on a global scale for immediate youth climate action. She created Recycle FAN in 2019, a climate action non-profit, to spread this message in over 10 counties to 750 youth members. She has been invited to speak at the Stockholm 50+ Youth Assembly, inspiring youth to join the organization and make a direct impact in preventing further greenhouse gas emissions. In the last few years, Recycle FAN has performed service projects for waste reduction, educated communities, and promoted advocacy campaigns. The team has diverted over 2,500 lbs of waste and educated over 15,000 people about sustainable living. Talking with local businesses about green transformations, building schools gardens, and hosting green town halls with local leaders are a few examples of the work they have done. She hopes to use her platform to share contacts, educational packets, and social media pages to help youth have their voice heard in mobilizing climate action.

Federico Marques

Hydroponics Project Developer

Mr. Marques had an extensive career at Bayer as their NAFTA Head of Quality & Innovation. His hydroponic experience began at NASA and led to his first greenhouse treating industrial wastewater using plants. Mr. Marques left Bayer in 2007 and started Ruggles Green, the greenest restaurant chain in the US at the time. Now he is the Founder & CEO of Moonflower Farms which is a leader in sustainable farming using hydroponics.

Sophia Bebawi

Student Activist

Sophia Bebawi is a senior at Travis High School, where she started a student collective called Next Gen For Justice (NGFJ). Students organize to complete volunteer projects to improve the local community such as organizing the annual LGBTQ+ Youth Issues Seminar, giving time to clean up efforts, or petitioning elected officials to do more for their constituents. Outside of NGFJ, she likes to write screenplays and produce stop-motion claymation films, study physics, run the philosophy club at Travis, and spend time with loved ones.