Ishaanvi Vermula
Ishaanvi Vemula is a junior at Metea Valley High School passionate about using technology to address real-world challenges. She developed InsureLit, an inclusive mobile app that simplifies complex health insurance policies, earning recognition in the 2025 Congressional App Challenge. Ishaanvi is also actively involved in Model United Nations, VEX Robotics, and Girls Who Code. In her TEDx Youth talk, she explores why understanding insurance is essential today for both insured and uninsured individuals, and how clearer systems can help people make informed decisions about their health.
Akanksha Narayan
Akanksha Narayan, an avid sports enthusiast, is a sophomore at Neuqua Valley High School. She loves staying active and speaking on topics that genuinely interest her. Inspired by her own experiences and those of her teammates, Akanksha began to reflect how athletes respond to moments when they are forced to step back. Through her interest in health and well-being, her talk explores what it means to be “benched,” challenging common assumptions and inviting athletes to rethink rest, recovery, and growth.
Rhea Chacko
Rhea Chacko is a junior at Waubonsie Valley High School with a deep passion for education and youth empowerment. Her experience on the school’s Speech Team taught her the importance of speaking up about meaningful topics and using her voice to advocate for change. Inspired by this, she leads public speaking workshops for young children at the Alive Center, helping them build confidence and learn to express themselves. Through her own experiences navigating high school, Rhea noticed how uneven access to guidance can shape a student’s confidence and sense of belonging. In her TEDx talk, she explores what education could look like if guidance were treated as a right rather than a privilege, urging communities to create structured systems where no student has to navigate adolescence alone.
Aarya Sobti
I’ve always been curious about how things work and even more passionate about explaining them in ways that truly connect. What began as creating educational videos for fun grew into my nonprofit initiative, Curion, where I built a community of 19,000+ learners and produced nearly 45 videos in a few months. My TEDx talk is based on my computational research on CRISPR and ALS (Gold, IJAS State Expo), and on how the ancient battle between bacteria and viruses could inspire the future of neurodegenerative therapy.
Vismaya Yogesh
Hi! My name is Vismaya Yogesh and I am a rising senior and Neuqua Valley high school. I have been learning Indian classical music from the age of 4 and I enjoy sharing my love for music with others. I was a speaker on Tedx Bolingbrook Youth last year, and my talk was related to the influence of music. I am so excited to perform on the stage a beautiful Carnatic piece this year and share the beauty of music with everyone!
Saina Nagar
Saina Nagar is a junior at Neuqua Valley High School passionate about healthcare. Through her volunteering efforts in local hospitals and nursing homes to the cancer and gastrointestinal research she is exploring, she aims to make the world a better place. She is involved in the speech team at her school, along with leading Naperville ReSoap, a nonprofit directed at reducing hygiene poverty and climate change.
Jesse Felix
Jesse is a passionate and energetic performer with an intense love for entertainment. Whether it is consuming entertainment or creating it, the root of Jesse’s passions are based in films, music, singing, and acting. Additionally, one of Jesse’s greatest inspirations throughout his childhood was Michael Jackson. Michael’s ability to encompass all four of Jesse’s passions made Jackson his all-time idol. Therefore, performing “Human Nature” by Michael Jackson is very special to Jesse, as he looks forward to entertaining the audience with a similar energy Michael would bring to the stage.
