Corey WinchesterOriginally from Philadelphia, PA, Corey Winchester has nearly a decade of middle, secondary, and collegiate teaching experience. Corey teaches US History and Sociology of Class, Gender, and Race at Evanston Township High School in Evanston, IL, where he also serves as the coordinator of Students Organized Against Racism (SOAR). He was recognized as an Excellent Early Career Educator by the Illinois State Board of Education in 2013, a Distinguished Alumni from Loyola University Chicago's School of Education in 2016 and received the Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2019. He delivered his first TED talk at TEDxNorthwestern in 2019 called "Teachers Educating Radically." Corey enjoys spending time with family and friends, traveling, eating delicious foods, binge watching great TV shows, and an occasional DIY project.
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Amy FranceticAmy Francetic is founder and Managing General Partner of Buoyant Ventures, a new venture fund in Chicago that aims to invest in digital climate solutions. She previously founded and led Energize Ventures. Her career spans over 20 years of high technology entrepreneurship, private equity, and research. Amy also co-founded and served as CEO of technology accelerator Clean Energy Trust. Amy also held roles at private equity firm MVC Capital and Stanford Research Institute. Earlier in her career, she was co-founder and CEO of a tech company that she sold to Lego Systems, and she helped fundraise for mobile gaming company, GluMobile, on whose board she served until it went public on the NASDAQ. Amy has a BA from Stanford University. She is married to Jason Rubinstein and is the mother of Lucy and Sydney Rubinstein.
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Will ElliottWill Elliott is a Junior at LFHS with roles as Student Council Class President, Debate Speech Chair, and a player in the school soccer program. A lifelong writer, content creator, and 21st century learner, he thrusts himself into new opportunities with a non-traditional approach and a critical eye. And despite all the jargon, he never takes himself too seriously.
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Celeste TomaselliCeleste Tomaselli is a Junior at Lake Forest High School. She is thrilled to be making her TEDx debut and will be speaking about the eight different types of intelligence. In her free time Celeste likes to hit things with a stick to make rhythm. You can see her drum in every band event, every football game (Go Drumline!), and most acts of the talent show. She also is an avid member of the theatre department but you will frequently not see her because she works behind the scenes. She would like to thank everyone who helped her get here.
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Blake TalwarBlake Talwar is a senior at Lake Forest High School and is elated to speak about his experiences and beliefs on coming out. As a member of the LGBTQ+ community, coming out has been a pivotal part of his life and he hopes to discuss the impact it has had on him. He participates in a wide array of activities including Model United Nations, tech crew, and Asian Pacific American Club to name a few. In his free time, he enjoys binge watching shows (he is currently watching Bob’s Burgers), reading, and spending time with his dogs Vader and Bow.
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Sophie HuddlestunSophie Huddlestun is a sophomore who is beyond thrilled to be a part of this event. TED talks inspire her all the time, and she can’t wait for a chance to inspire others. She loves traveling and has been to 25 countries, plays the ukulele, and loves researching Latin and Psychology. She obsesses over The Catcher in the Rye, Friends, Pitch Perfect, hedgehogs, macaroni and cheese, and Shawn Mendes. In school, she is involved in Latin Club, plays lacrosse in the spring, and she played on the girls’ ice hockey and field hockey teams during the fall. Sophie can’t wait to take the 2020 stage and share her story.
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Alex MutterAlex Mutter is currently a senior at LFHS. Since moving from across the pond seven years ago, he has developed a strong passion for science and business— next year he hopes to study either biomedical sciences or medical innovation and enterprise in the UK. An avid cyclist, Alex spends his early mornings of the weekend on long rides throughout the North Shore. On other days, he is burrowed at home watching rugby games or Formula One races. Through his talk, he hopes to give insight on the future of our diets with the advent of rapidly growing “lab cultured meat” technology.
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Willow VolkertWillow is a senior at Lake Forest High School and fills her time with more activities than she could possibly count. She is passionate about running, the environment, volunteering, seeing the world from different perspectives, and learning about other cultures. By attending Culver Academies, a six week military camp in rural Indiana every summer, she has had the opportunity to meet people from around the globe and accomplish tasks she never thought possible. Willow joined TEDx this year to share the place where she has learned the most about what it means to be a good person, and inspire others to partake in new activities, because you never know how much good will come out of it.
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Evan JasicaEvan Jasica is a Senior at Lake Forest High School. A lifelong musician, he is a member of several extracurricular music groups and serves as the Senior Drum Major of the LFHS band. Outside of music, Evan pursues a passion for English as a member of the speech team and independent writer. He also enjoys a great love of the outdoors as an Eagle Scout and long-standing TA of the outdoor education course. A fascination for music’s connection to our emotions led him to study its application in medicine and in our everyday lives.
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Ian JacksonIan Jackson is a junior at Lake Forest High School. He is excited to share his story about his backpacking trip in Wyoming for 30 days. Ian loves trying new and different things. He does this by being a part of many different clubs, sports, and events in school. Most recently he was in the Talent Show, and one of the videos he created in New Media was highlighted in it. Ian finds that one of the best ways to live life is by having as many different interesting experiences as you can. That is why he decided to do a month long backpacking trip. He is very passionate about nature and the environment. He feels that everyone should truly cherish and be a part of nature as much as they can.
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Alexandra AndersonAlexandra Anderson is an eighth grader at Deer Path Middle School and loves participating in choir and theatre. She is very passionate about science as well as analytical writing. Alexandra enjoys spending time with her family and friends along with visiting the Botanical Gardens. Looking forward to sharing what she has experienced in the world of choir and its benefits, Alexandra hopes to learn from her collaborators and what it is like to be a part of the TEDx experience. She is very grateful for the opportunity.
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Emcees: Billy Gardner and Casey Murray
Casey Murray is a senior at LFHS, which is sad because it means he is substantially closer to dying than he was as a freshperson. He enjoys playing with his dogs and making bathymetric maps of small lakes in northern Wisconsin. His day job as an editor of The Forest Scout and his night job as an exceptionally distractible physics homework machine have left him exhausted, and his frequent musings on the impending heat-death of the universe have left him depressed, but he is nonetheless determined to make this TEDxLFHS the best of the year.
Billy Gardner is a senior at LFHS who hopes to meet Ted some day. He's looking forward to hopefully entertaining you at TEDxLFHS and reminds you he works for tips. In his free time he avoids homework, plays music, and writes op-eds for the school newspaper. |