Theme: RISE

TEDxAustin + TEDxAustin Youth
RISE is a two-part event beginning with TEDxAustin geared to adults, followed by TEDxAustinYouth focused on topics for middle and high school students. TED presentations bookend xLabs, our interactive venue that allows all participants an opportunity to explore new ideas and innovations presented by TEDx in an interactive, hands-on setting.

Westlake Community Performing Arts Center
4100 Westbank Drive
Austin, Texas, 78746
United States

Anoushka Soni

Sustainability Advocate

Anoushka is an Austin-born-and-raised high schooler, environmentalist, and advocate for sustainability. She hopes to share that the inclusion of sustainability in business or otherwise, when embraced, is more effective and efficient for this generation of innovators.

Arnav Srinivasa

An eighth-grader at West Ridge Middle School, Arnav is an incredible chess player, swimmer, violinist, and pianist. He is also extremely passionate about math and engineering and is involved in robotics and Future City Engineering. His team recently won fifth place in the world for their innovative ideas.

Arnav, Arya, C. Nash Srinivasa, Gullapalli, Cohen

Environmental Activist

Three eighth grade students share their innovative, research-based ideas about climate change after winning fifth place in the world in a competition to design cities of the future.

Arya Gullapalli

An eighth-grader at West Ridge Middle School, Arya is an enthusiastic science fiction reader and is passionate about computer programming, robotics, investing, and video games. His Future City Engineering team recently won fifth place in the world for their innovative ideas.

C. Nash Cohen

An eighth-grader at West Ridge Middle School, Nash is an avid traveler who just returned from an adventure in Egypt. He has also been to such destinations as Sweden, Costa Rica, and Mexico, and loves camping and canoeing. His Future City Engineering team recently won fifth place in the world for their innovative ideas.

Cody Fisher

Magician + Speaker + Performer

Cody Fisher is both an educator and entertainer. After completing multiple degrees in biology / biochemistry from The University Of Texas, Cody decided to pursue a full time career as a magician. Over the years he has won numerous national and international awards for his magic, launched his own product line of magic, and has authored several books and DVDs on the art of magic. Cody’s performance résumé includes comedy clubs, cruise ships, and theatres throughout the USA,Canada, and Europe. When he is not out amazing audiences, he is using his magic to help others. Along with his wife Debbie, an occupational therapist, they have developed a unique program called “Rehabracadabra”. This program uses "sleight of hand" magic as a form of therapy. Together they lecture at colleges, hospitals, and clinics all across the United States and to over 20 countries worldwide.

Danielle Sunberg

Author

Danielle Sunberg is a former commercial litigator turned authentic leadership speaker, author, coach, and entrepreneur. Her new book, “Atlas of Being: From Briefcase to Backpack, One Former Lawyer's Exploration of the Human Way,” is an Amazon #1 New Release. After successfully defending her client at trial against a $6 billion judgment, Danielle was diagnosed with depression. She left her firm to travel six continents, exploring the farthest corners of the world and the innermost reaches of the human soul to understand what it meant to live a truly fulfilling life. Danielle bridges her experience in the corporate world with her expertise in conscious self-development to guide leaders to transform their own lives, their organizations, and the world.

Danny Firpo

Virtual Production Designer

CEO and CO-founder of All of it Now, Danny has a background in Live Event and TV production, Virtual Production, system design, and digital marketing. He brings a diverse background of practical effects, live production, and brand marketing to every project.

Jack Neas

A high school senior and president of the Westlake Technical Entertainment Crew, Jack Neas designs and presents amazing light show performances.

James Sunseri

Researcher + Mentor

A California native, James was born in Sacramento and lived across the golden state before graduating from the University of California, Berkeley in 2022 with a BA in both physics and astronomy with support from the Northern California Scholarship Foundation. During his time at UC Berkeley, has led and published several projects in both observational and theoretical astrophysics. Through his projects he has built multiple novel software packages for analyzing simulations of the universe. Currently, he is primarily interested in measuring correlations between triplets and quadruplets to study the nature of turbulence and magnetic fields in space and their impact on the formation of stars.

Joseph "Danny" King

Builder

Joseph “Danny” King began tearing things apart and fixing them at a very early age. He grew up in Louisiana and his first job was helping his father who was a chef in their family owned business. He figured out then, after a lot of hard work, that he wanted a professional career. He joined the Navy after he graduated high school and enlisted as a data systems technician for 6 years. He began working full time and going to University of Houston, part time, while earning his electrical engineering degree. He worked in the information technology field most of his career as a trouble shooter, lead engineer, and fixing customer issues on computers at Dell Technologies. In his spare time, he became a general aviation pilot and he and his wife built a Van’s RV9A experimental airplane. They now fly all around the US since retiring. He also helps to mentor high school students who build airplanes at East View High School as part of the TangoFlight program.

Kamilla Yunusova

Founder + Mentor

Kamilla is a first-generation immigrant from Uzbekistan. She was the first in her family to get an education in the U.S. and earned a bachelors from the University of Pennsylvania, where she’d met her mentor with whom she eventually built Rise First, a non-profit with the goal of helping other first-generation students to navigate higher education and career paths. Kamilla resides in Austin and holds a full-time role as a Product Manager at OJO Canada.

Sophia Adarrab

Motivator + Story Teller

As an adoptee, being chosen versus being given up for adoption are two realities that co-existed to shape her reality. Similarly, immigration is an experience that created a duality in her sense of self. While being torn between an empowering narrative and another that impacted her self-worth, she discovered that we all have the power to choose how we shape our identity.

Suman Sherwani

SpaceX Engineer

Suman Sherwani is an Avionics Systems Engineer at SpaceX, working on the Dragon spacecraft missions that take astronauts, science experiments, and supplies to the International Space Station. She is also a former Project Manager and Systems Engineer on NASA science missions which studied the mysterious interactions between the Sun and Earth.

WIT: Westlake Improv Troupe

WIT: Westlake Improv Troupe serves to promote and foster interest in the performing arts in the Westlake High School community. Led by Meredith Yanchak, Director of Theater, Westlake Theatre welcomes students interested in acting, production, design, and any other aspect of the theatrical arts.