Theme: The power of...

Regent's International School is looking forward to hosting its TEDx Youth Event. With a diverse range of student speakers, its aims to inspire and motivate those within our community and ignite energising discussions.

Regent's International School
592 Pracha - Uthit Rd
Huai Kwang
Bangkok, Krung Thep Maha Nakhon, 10310
Thailand

Anya Bijaphala

Student speaker

Anya is a 12-year old student in year 7 studying at Regent's International School Bangkok. Being raised in Bangkok with a Thai family who highly values resilience and personal development, Anya developed the virtues of confidence and determination. From an early age, her perseverance and effort were rewarded. She was offered opportunities to enhance her interests of public speaking and leadership from as young as the age of 5, such as: securing the role of the primary head girl in year 6. Her other passions include various sports such as basketball and football. She trains hard for her preferred sports and consistently strives for enhancements in her performance. Anya aims for improvement in everything she does, recognising that even in the mistakes she makes there are opportunities to learn; hence she believes in the saying “It’s not what happens to you, but how you choose to respond.”

Arame Marukyan

Student speaker

Arame is a 17-year-old student at Regent’s International School, originally from Yerevan, Armenia. He is passionate about entrepreneurship and business, fascinated by philosophy, history, and politics, and enjoys chess, football, and calisthenics. He graduated from a music school in Armenia and has played the guitar for over eight years. From a young age, Arame excelled in both chess and classical music, winning multiple competitions, including a prestigious Grand Prix in 2024. His love for philosophy has shaped his mindset on ambition and risk-taking. He firmly believes that the ability to take risks is the most essential skill for success. Arame aspires to become an entrepreneur and establish his own company. His passion for public speaking and performance emerged early—at just nine years old, he led his team to victory on a televised game show. Over the years, he has performed in various concert halls in front of hundreds of people, strengthening his confidence on stage.

Edgar Naikyan

Student speaker

Edgar Naikyan is 17 years old. For the past three years, he has been studying at Regent’s, a place that has shaped him. He believes achieving any goal requires dedication, consistency, and, most importantly, discipline. Without these, dreams remain just dreams. One of his core values is embracing every opportunity. With every challenge, new doors open, leading to growth. At school, he has taken on various leadership roles, some examples: House Captain, Boarding Councillor, Cultural Committee member, and Russian teacher for primary students. These roles have strengthened his leadership, responsibility, and teamwork skills. His father often tells me, “To succeed, you must find hidden opportunities and take them.” This mindset has guided him, pushing him to improve and strive for excellence. This talk is another step in his growth. Life is a constant learning process, and he is determined to make the most of every experience.

Friso Poldervaart

Guest speaker

Friso Poldervaart is an innovative entrepreneur and passionate community advocate with a deep commitment to creating positive social impact. With years of experience in business development and social entrepreneurship, Friso has focused his efforts on bridging the gap between social responsibility and business success. As the founder of the Bangkok Community Help Foundation, he has dedicated himself to empowering marginalized communities in Bangkok by providing essential resources and creating sustainable initiatives that address issues such as poverty, education, and healthcare. Friso’s ability to bring together local and global networks has led to meaningful change, improving the lives of those in need. Through his leadership and commitment, he continues to inspire others to take action, contribute to positive social change, and build a more inclusive and sustainable future for all.

Meredith Prescott

Student speaker

Meredith is a 15 year old girl in Regents International School Bangkok. She enjoys participating in a number of extracurricular activities, such as Model United Nations, debate and is very interested in the current affairs around the world, as well as locally. She moved to Thailand in the summer of 2023 and has enjoyed exploring and immersing herself in the culture. She hopes to work in politics and global affairs in the future. This will be an opportunity for her to hone her public speaking and communication skills - which she really appreciates. She hopes that her talk will implore her audience to think outside the box and reflect upon their everyday decisions.

Richard Gunara

Student speaker

Richard Antonio Gunara is a 14-year-old student at Regent’s International School Bangkok. Passionate about science, technology, and the future of humanity, Richard has always been fascinated by artificial intelligence—not just how it works, but how it impacts the world around us. For his TEDx talk, Richard asks the question: Will AI take over the world? His answer, a confident no, comes from his independent research and a deep curiosity that sparked during a discussion with his friends. He chose this topic after noticing how many people, especially his peers and even adults, were either overly excited or deeply anxious about AI. Richard wanted to bring a balanced, thoughtful perspective to the debate about AI, showing that while AI is powerful, it's still a tool—and one that’s very much under human control. Richard aims to demystify artificial intelligence and inspire others to understand it, not fear it.

Rosalind Prescott

Student speaker

Rosalind is a 15 year old student at Regents International School Bangkok. Rosalind was born and raised in England, yet moved to Bangkok in 2023. She has a passion for public speaking and advocacy. She is a member of several ECAs, attends every model united nations conference she can, is a TISAC champion debater and won the national debate competition in Thailand at 14. Other than her public speaking hobbies, Rosalind loves to listen to music, read and go on walks as much as she can. Being a junior house captain has taught Rosalind leadership skills that she brings into every walk of life - including school and MUN. Rosalind wishes to change the world through her love for public speaking and she hopes to one day make a difference in the world with her words.

Vincent

Student speaker

Vincent is 12 years old and from Myanmar. It is his first year at Regent’s International School. As this is his first time transferring to a new school, he found it a bit challenging at first and at times is still adapting to the new environment. He has a strong passion for coding and reading and both have been a big part of his life. He codes and makes new games/animations and started learning Python, where he made small programs and learned new techniques. Reading is a passion and he reads every day. No matter how busy he always makes sure there is time to immerse in a good book. His favourite genres are adventure and fantasy. Reading reduces stress and transports him to a new world. He also plays the piano and enjoys learning new pieces and improving. His favourite subject is mathematics because it is interesting and fun to do so. Sometimes though, it gets really hard and really racks my brain! He is looking forward to learning, improving my skills, and exploring new opportunities.