I've been involved with TEDx for around 3 years now. Starting in 2023, I've always wanted to put together a TEDx event, not only because it sounds super duper cool, but also because I genuinely wanted to meet more people from around Malaysia. Being part of a relatively small international school meant that my network wasn't massive, and I really did want to pick the brains of awesome people from all around Malaysia.

I started with TEDxSJIIM Youth: a student-led event that garnered an audience of around 100 parents and students, involving people from a variety of different fields. We mainly had entrepreneurs and lots of professors who were kind enough to give up their weekend to share some of their wisdom with us.

But I've always wanted to build bigger and to build better. It occured to me that, during my time in Malaysia, I hadn't heard of a state-wide or nation-wide TEDx event. After some googling, I realised that after COVID, it was difficult to get lots of these events started back up again. I reached out anyway to a guy I came across when doing my searches: Daniel. I am ever grateful for his warmth and willingness to involve me (and later on, my team) in the process of putting together TEDxKL for 2025. It is, of course, a huge leap of faith for him to trust a couple of 16-17 year-olds with putting together an event involving up to 500 people!

The first event I helped out with was the TEDxKL Salon, where we had a panel of speakers talking about rebuilding communities. It truly made me wonder what it was that created the connections, trust, and innovation that help communities thrive. It made me wonder how people are going about making sure that the communities they build are ones that last. More importanlty, perhaps, how can these communities be rebuilt and strengthened post-COVID? Volunteering at this event and helping organise it was an incredibly rewarding experience, and it was amazing to see so many communities within Malaysia represented at there (including other Malaysian TEDx events like TEDxPetalingStreet and TEDxNottinghamMalaysia)!

More recently was the TEDxKL Open Mic. I can only say I left more inspired than I could have imagined. The event was truly a reminder that some o f the most powerful ideas often come from everyday people with the courage to step up and share their stories. There really was something for everyone, whether that be very vulnerable personal experiences to new insights on recent scientific developments. The event gave me a whole new appreciation for the amount of planning and teamwork that goes into creating a space where people feel safe to speak their truth.

Then, of course, was the actual mainstage event on November 15th. Three weeks ago, I had the privilege of being a part of the main-stage TEDxKL event of 2025, serving as a volunteer and helping to organise speakers. I am hugely grateful for this experience and for the opportunity to meet so many incredible people. TEDxKL has taught me so much about storytelling, collaboration, and the magic that happens when people are willing to share their perspectives. The event brought together a lineup of speakers from all different fields and walks of life, and an equally dedicated organising team. Working behind the scenes has taught me skills I’ll carry into every future project: communication, delegation, accountability, and the ability to perform under pressure.

As always, I remain immensely grateful to the people who have taught me so much and who have allowed me to volunteer, including Daniel, Nathalia, Shalini, and the rest of my team (Kevin, Jaden, Iris, Chloe, Keith etc.). Huge gratitude to the amazing TEDxKL team for the trust, collaboration (and sleep sacrificed) that made this event possible. And to the speakers: thank you for letting us help bring your ideas to life!