“Thank you for listening to my Ted Talk”, the speaker said as the crowd erupted in applause.
Ted Talk Night, the annual club event hosted by the Ted Talk Club, occurred on April 24th in the auditorium for the fourth consecutive year. Club members gave their speeches of various topics, ranging from “Color Theory” by eighth grader Rahmah Iqbal, to the “Psychology of Laughter” by sophomore Yusuf Shokr. A crowd of over 60 people, consisting of friends and family gathered in the auditorium for the event. The stage was set with bolded, color letters forming “TED”, with a soft orange lighting that set the tone for the evening.
Ted Talk Night was first hosted in the academic year of 2021-2022, in the multipurpose hall (MPH) of the Academy, with only 7 club members giving a speech. After three years, the club has grown to over 35 students from both middle school and high school while remaining devoted to its mission of advancing the frontier of public speech in students. Members from the club worked throughout the year to prepare and deliver their TED Talks, from coming to bi-weekly club meetings, to enhancing and engaging their public speaking skills.
The few weeks leading up the night were considered the most arduous. Members spent hours on drafting their speeches, making their visual presentations were ready, and practicing delivering their speeches while receiving feedback from both their peers and advisor. On the day of the event, members arrived two hours early to do a final rehearsal of their speech, while the presidents were busy with the advisor making final edits to the visual presentations, printing the brochures, setting up the auditorium lights, and bringing in the refreshments.
Co-President of the club, Wahaj Uddin remarked: “A lot of work went into preparing for the night and the weeks before were undoubtedly the toughest for our students.”
After a shortly delayed start to accommodate late arriving parents, the event kicked off at around 5:20 P.M with a Quran recitation by Ahmed Sajjad. Afterwards, speaker after speaker rose up to the stage, and left with a round of applause. Throughout the course of the event, refreshments and snacks were available at the back of auditorium.
Many students were nervous about their TED talks at first, but their fright slowly melted away as the evening progressed. Zunairah Naseem, 8th grade, said: “At first (before the event), I was really excited. Then before my turn I started getting nervous. But afterwards, I felt really happy and proud.”
The final speech concluded at around 7 P.M, after which parents, club members, and friends gathered together for pictures. The three lettered TED sign was a particular hotspot for this, symbolizing the central ideas of the TED talk club.
Ms. Huda Biabani, TED Talk Club advisor was proud of her students. “I’m so proud of my 21 TED talkers! They did an amazing job, and I look forward to working with them all again next year!”
TED Talk Night 2025 seemingly went smoothly and presented a unique opportunity for parents, students, and their peers to come together and enjoy an evening full of lesson, learning, and fun.
Co-President of the TED Talk Club Ahmed Sajjad, mentioned: “I think that the event was a huge success. Overall, I think the parents, students, and their friends had fun and learned a lot tonight. And I hope that our presenters will grow in the future and pass on the power of public speaking.”
Be sure to check out the gallery below for more photos!
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