TEDx Youth at SNIS

18 Jun TEDx Youth at SNIS

“It always seems impossible until it’s done.” – Nelson Mandela

 As a part of one of the best IB schools in Bangalore, education comes along with a tie of extracurricular opportunities. Studying in one of the best boarding schools in Bangalore, our school life is jam-packed with our interests, an array, and a blur of sports, music, arts, or public speaking. Whether we may be introverted, non-academic, or anything, our school always has something or the other in store for us, and most of all, that’s the point I adore for my school as the most important opportunity in my whole middle school life.

One’s whole life is surrounded by the awaiting outcomes of the unthinkable future. Whether it may be regarding a test mark, a friend’s text reply, or even an upcoming presentation. However, in my case, a talk about a topic that I felt I should be telling myself instead of delivering about it. Yet, I’m happy to say that thanks to this top residential school in Bangalore; our school’s helping and trusting environment, we had tons of assistance, of course.

When our seniors walked into our class that day and introduced us to the prospect of our IB school hosting our very own TEDxYouth@SNIS (an experience that successfully changed my stage-feared self), I felt a feeling I had never felt so much before; inspiration. The side in me that shied away from the spotlight quivered, filling my head with ‘no! don’t do it, you’ll regret it in the long run!’, yet another part of me mustered the courage to raise my hand that day and even send an email with my confirmation of my participation. However, the day I received the email about beginning the first draft of my speech, I felt something seeping in – something that seemed a whole lot like regret.

Cue weeks and weeks of tailing behind my mother for help and spending late nights reading about TED talks and speakers. I almost felt burdened with the day of the presentation looming in the back of my mind until one day, I found a video of this 16-year-old Chinese boy conducting a TED talk on his own, about how he and a group of friends had created their own start-up company. I was so over the moon that I had found something to look up to. I immediately began writing my speech on the one topic that I felt every student needs to bang into their heads: procrastination. As an IB student of this top international school in Bangalore, I feel elated to say that this is one of the things that is almost drilled into your brain as one of the major don’ts, by the way.

Of course, as any other person would, my stomach fluttered with jitters until the very last second, until I, for the first time ever, could soak up the amazing feel of the audience’s applause, of the prideful smiles on my teachers’ faces. Overall, I suppose what I’m trying to say through this overly long blog is that – never deem anything as impossible until it’s done. Whether it may be a task, a project, or even an awaiting apology after a fight, never shy away from an opportunity, and never underestimate what you as an individual can be capable of.

Most of all, I’d like to thank SNIS, one of the best international schools in Bangalore, for this incredible opportunity to unlock a capability in myself that I never thought that I would. Including the absolute burst of motivation, I felt the day I marched to the audition room. Because an opportunity like that for a middle-schooler like me could be an absolutely life-changing one.