meet our speakers!
Anisha Kulkarni
Anisha Kulkarni is a junior at McNeil High School, and is currently serving as the founder and president of TEDxMcNeil High School -- McNeil's first TEDx club dedicated to helping students find their voice and guiding them on a journey which equips them with critical thinking, writing, and public speaking skills. Passionate about understanding the way people think, learn, and communicate, she explores these topics with her co-host, Akshara Diwakar through her podcast, Thought Dots, a cognitive science podcast focused on neuroscience, psycholinguistics, and psychology. In her free time, Anisha enjoys teaching, music, and baking. Through TEDxMcNeil High School, she hopes to create a space where people can present their ideas worth sharing.
Akshara Diwakar
A junior at McNeil High School, Akshara Diwakar is both a dedicated academic student and an aspiring medical professional. Apart from being the Treasurer of the first TEDx chapter opened at McNeil High School, she is also a volunteer for health organizations such as Three Oaks Hospice and CC4C. With a passion for psychology, neurology, and sociology, she explores complex cognitive science topics on her podcast, Thought Dots, which she co-hosts with Anisha Kulkarni. In the future, she hopes to spread awareness of how the world around us can affect our mental capacities, talents and strengths, which she touches upon in her speech. By deconstructing the nuances of creativity and divergent thinking in modern-day society, she explains how and why such skills should persist in the minds of everybody.
Aditi Gupta
Bio coming soon!
Fernando Frausto Martinez
Fernando is a sophomore at the Liberal Arts and Science Academy also known as LASA. He has a passion for public speaking, healthcare innovation, and making sure that voices that are often left out get heard. He gets involved in programs like Mock Trial and Youth and Government. These programs help him use his voice to highlight issues that many people, in his community ignore or don’t talk about. Fernando has also developed a health app powered by AI. This app helps families form habits by adding a fun competitive edge and personalized AI health goals. In his TEDx talk Fernando dives into a medical issue affecting his community. He connects it to a personal narrative, sharing his grandmother’s story to show the real human side of the problem. He then looks at research on medical and corporate practices, that affect people in his community. Through his work and speech, he hopes to encourage greater awareness, accountability, and meaningful change
Kaylee Quebe
With a strong interest in science, healthcare, and the world around her, Kaylee enjoys exploring new opportunities and expanding her knowledge. Her goal of becoming a cardiologist is fueled by her involvement in health science courses and hands-on volunteer experience at a local clinic. Outside of medicine, she has a deep appreciation for marine life and marine conservation. As someone who knows how to scuba dive and enjoys traveling, she is constantly drawn to discovering unfamiliar places, experiencing different cultures, and learning about the natural world. Whether she is exploring the ocean or pursuing her interest in science, she values curiosity, personal growth, and the opportunity to make a positive impact.
Ishika Mahajan
Ishika Mahajan is a junior at McNeil High School with a strong interest in science, connections in the human body, and the nervous system. Curious about how stress, judgment, and the feeling of being watched affect the brain, she began exploring privacy through conversations with peers about mental health and well-being. Her TEDx talk, “Is Privacy Important?,” examines why privacy matters for confidence, trust, and emotional safety. Outside of school, Ishika has practiced karate for ten years, earned a 2nd degree black belt, and received a medal at a national karate championship. She has also tutored elementary students in math and english and volunteered at a hospital during the summer. She believes privacy is not simply secrecy, it is a foundation for mental health, well-being, and healthy relationships between children and their parents.
Shaina Bedekar
Shaina is an aspiring healthcare professional whose passions include biology, psychology, neuroscience, and community service. A creative and hardworking student, Shaina actively engages in academic and leadership opportunities both within and beyond her school community. Passionate about youth advocacy, she hopes to promote a society that prioritizes mental health awareness and challenges the stigma surrounding emotional well-being in the Asian-American community. Through her TEDx talk, she strives to bring attention to the often-overlooked mental health struggles of Asian-American teenagers and inspire a culture where her peers feel heard, understood, and supported
Ritvij Sharma
Ritvij Sharma is an aspiring AI researcher and engineer whose interests span artificial intelligence, robotics, mathematics, and technological innovation. Driven by a belief that emerging technologies should extend beyond laboratories and into the communities they can transform, Ritvij has pursued research in large language models, intelligent systems, and computational reasoning while leading initiatives that expand access to STEM education and technological opportunities. Through his work in robotics, AI research, and entrepreneurship, he hopes to challenge conventional boundaries between human ingenuity and machine intelligence. By exploring the intersection of artificial intelligence and human potential, he strives to inspire a future in which technology is not simply developed for the sake of advancement, but thoughtfully designed to make knowledge, innovation, and opportunity more accessible to all.
Lisa Woo
Lisa Woo is a junior at McNeil High School with a passion for biology, medicine, and the people who make healthcare possible beyond the spotlight. Through HOSA, school leadership, and band, she has gained a deeper appreciation for the healthcare professionals who work behind the scenes and play pivotal roles in patient care, yet often go unrecognized. In her TEDx Talk, she explores why these individuals deserve the recognition they often lack, revisiting the cytotechnology project that first sparked her interest in the invisible work being done throughout healthcare. What began as a project about an underrecognized career became a lasting curiosity about the many people whose work is essential to healthcare but often goes unseen.