Theme: Beneath the Surface

This year, TEDxMountainViewHighSchool invites you to journey Beneath the Surface—to uncover the hidden forces, untold stories, and deeper truths shaping our world. From the subconscious mind to the secrets of the deep ocean, from overlooked communities to revolutionary ideas hiding in plain sight, our speakers will challenge you to look beyond the obvious.

Mountain View High School
3535 Truman Avenue
Mountain View, California, 94040
United States

Amanda Ford

Student

A dedicated advocate for understanding and inclusion, Amanda is a junior in highschool who navigates life with a unique perspective on hidden challenges. Having experienced firsthand the impact of unseen disabilities, she is passionate about raising awareness around the value of compassion in everyday interactions. In her talk, Amanda sheds light on the subtle ways people with invisible struggles can feel excluded and the powerful effect of small, thoughtful actions. She encourages listeners to approach each person with patience and empathy, building a world where everyone feels understood and included.

Arjun Shankar

Student

Arjun Shankar is a Sophomore at Mountain View High School. He is an active member of Mountain View Science Olympiad. In his talk, Arjun will dive into how you shouldn’t immediately give up on anything, using a personal example to show how even small things can become a big part of your life, knowing that peer pressure and other limits make many give up hobbies that could become important for them.

Hrishi Lakshman

Student

Driven by his personal journey with Hinduism, Hrishi’s talk, titled "What Hinduism Really Teaches," aims to dispel common misconceptions about the faith. He will share how Hindu teachings have shaped his life, offering universally applicable lessons beyond traditional religious beliefs.

JC Laraya

Dance Teacher + Apple Product Trainer

JC Laraya is a mother of a teenage boy and works for a tech company in Silicon Valley. Although she doesn’t have a formal dance background or training, she began attending dance classes in 2017 at the age of 35. Initially, her motivation was to use dance as a workout to achieve her fitness goals, which she reached by 2019. In 2020, JC started teaching dance fitness, and her classes have since gained popularity, often selling out and attracting a large number of students. Recently, she had the opportunity to perform as a backup dancer for an international artist and singer at an event in San Francisco on August 11, 2024.

Josi Wang

Student

Josi Wang is a Junior at Mountain View High School. She serves as Clubs Commissioner on the Executive Cabinet of ASB and is a proud member of Dance Spectrum and the Iwata delegation. In her dance, she wants to express deeply rooted emotions that are not immediately visible on the outside, reflecting internal struggles, yearning, and a sense of longing for connection and belonging.

Mark Mukminov

Student

The truth is, we’re all being manipulated. Mark is a Senior at Mountain View High School, reveals the subtle psychological tricks marketers and politicians use to influence our choices. From advertising through fear, to the social psychology used in political speeches, to what makes IKEA furniture so satisfying to build, Mark will show how to spot common psychological tactics and control of your purchases and opinions.

Ryan Lee

Student

A victim of his own expectations, sophomore Ryan Lee had once walked the same path trodden with the footsteps of nationwide high schoolers all grasping at the fleeting ideal of perfection. Now, having broken free from the constant struggle to be flawless, he speaks on the fear of failure and the pain of always falling short of your ambitions. Join him in his talk as he discusses his love, hate, and journey with perfectionism.

Saumya Anand

Student

Saumya is a junior at MVHS. She is a passionate performer, who deeply cares about making music, songwriting, musical theater, recording, acting, and being an entrepreneur. She understands the fears and stigma surrounding the successes possible in the performing arts industries. Through her talk, she reconstructs the meaning of success, breaking false narratives to empower every person to pursue careers in the arts, no matter what their background may be.

Tanya Sheckley

Entrepreneur, Founder of UP Academy and Co-Founder of Project UP

Tanya Sheckley is an Entrepreneur, Founder of UP Academy and Co-Founder of Project UP. UP Academy is a non-traditional elementary school which values respect, innovation, empathy and strength. Project UP brings a fully integrated Literacy and project based learning curriculum for K-5 schools as well as building a community of founders and leaders. Tanya’s vision and mission show it’s possible to celebrate differences, change what’s broken in the American education system, and that all children can receive a rigorous, well rounded education. She is author of Rebel Educator’s podcast and book, Create Classrooms of Imagination and Impact. Speaking frequently on the future of education and entrepreneurship, Tanya works with founders and leaders to launch innovative school models, question the status quo, and develop engaging student experiences through inclusion and project based learning.

Valentina Sliesoritis

Student

Valentina is a senior at Mountain View High School. At school, she enjoys her involvement in Green Team and her tech internship, and outside of school, she’s a dedicated practitioner of yoga and meditation. As the first person in her family that will attend a four-year college in the U.S., Valentina has faced many obstacles, including a challenging period with her mental health. In this talk, she shares her journey of embracing mindfulness and discovering the transformative power of tools like yoga and meditation, which helped her find balance and the strength to move forward. Valentina hopes to inspire and help others by showing them ways to incorporate these transformative practices into their own lives.

Vivaan Beri

Student

Vivaan is a junior at mountain view high school. As someone who moved to the other side of the world when he was only nine years old, life changed very quickly for Vivaan, in ways he could not imagine. But to others, these changes were normal and sometimes meaningless. In his talk, Vivaan outlines through his own experience, how the world seems different from the perspective of an immigrant.