This year, Princeton Day School will launch the TEDxYouth@PrincetonDaySchool program, a student-led initiative that brings the globally recognized network of TED Talks to our very own campus. Founded by senior Amber Pancholi and junior Prisha Tiwari, the project aims to serve as a platform where students are able to share their stories, interests, and experiences with the student body. The program will encourage a community where passions can be celebrated, ideas can be exchanged, and students can inspire one another to think differently and creatively.
Pancholi and Tiwari first conceptualized the program after realizing how many students at PDS had unique perspectives and passions that deserved to be shared, and subsequently discovering how much impact TEDx events had made on other schools and communities. Pancholi explained: “After seeing how much creativity already existed at PDS, it felt like the perfect environment for something like this.”
This year’s event theme, Becoming the Future, speaks directly to this purpose. The TED talks will revolve around the evolution of ideas, identity, and innovation, reflecting the constant growth that defines the student community at PDS. Each talk will show that the future is not something distant, but instead is something constructed by PDS students every day.
So far, the process of preparing the event has been a wonderful learning experience for both founders, involving collaboration with faculty members Jonathan Martin and Lauren Stavros, as well as a newly formed student team from multiple grades. Together, they’ve worked on securing licensing, reviewing applications, and coordinating logistics, fostering collaboration between students and faculty throughout the school. Tiwari, who is currently studying abroad at the School of Ethics and Global Leadership, described the experience, saying that, “Organizing the TEDx event hasn’t been too heavy a load…I’ve been able to manage through creating and reviewing applications and planning remotely, while my co-organizer, Amber Pancholi, handles in-person tasks.”
Looking ahead, both Tiwari and Pancholi wish for TEDx to become a lasting tradition at Princeton Day School, acting as a space for conversation and storytelling for years to come. Tiwari shared, “Even though Amber won’t be here next year, I will, and I’d love to give a student in the year below me the chance to co-organize.”
As Pancholi puts it, “Innovation and storytelling go hand in hand,” and with the TEDxYouth@PDS program, those stories are just beginning. The event is set to showcase the creativity and passion of students, reminding everyone that the future is shaped by the ideas we share today.
