Surrey students host first-ever TEDx school event
Published 4:30 pm Sunday, June 14, 2026
Earl Marriott students hosted an inaugural TEDx event featuring youth voices in Surrey and beyond.
Student speakers from schools in Surrey and other areas of B.C. gathered at Earl Marriott Secondary on June 4 as the school hosted their first TEDx event, giving students a platform to share ideas on leadership, advocacy, music, resilience and community.
Organized by Grade 11 students Wenshu Ding and Sabine Lapointe, TEDx Earl Marriott featured eight student speakers from communities including South Surrey, Victoria and Richmond.
Throughout the evening, presenters challenged audiences to rethink familiar ideas through talks exploring topics ranging from politics and youth homelessness to music therapy, personal growth and taking action.
Ding told Peace Arch News that this event was inspired after she and Lapointe learned about and applied to participate in Semiahmoo Secondary’s TEDx event.
While participating in this event the two students wondered why Earl Marriott students didn’t have the same opportunity. “How come students at our very own school don’t have this opportunity?” wondered Ding.
The pair later secured an official TEDx licence and spent months organizing the event, from recruiting volunteers to selecting speakers. Ding said that about 20 students applied to present with eight chosen following an application process.
“This is an opportunity for youth to get out there and share their ideas and their passions,” Ding said. “We wanted to have an opportunity to showcase youth from across British Columbia.”
Ding said the event was designed to amplify youth voices and encourage conversations around issues that matter to the next generation. “This is really a youth-focused event, focusing on what’s to come and the perspectives of our future.”
The speaker lineup included Earl Marriott students Adam Lenk, Bella Endersby, Thenuli Ruwanpura and Michelle Liu, along with Leah Wang, Alveera Wahi and Zohra Khawaja, who travelled from communities across B.C. to take part.
In Lenk’s talk he challenged the common idea of having “potential,” arguing that success comes from taking action rather than waiting for the right opportunity.
Prior to the event, Lenk shared where the idea of his talk stemmed from.
“Throughout my whole life I’ve found that I was always told by teachers, peers and my parents that I had a lot of potential,” he said. “I found that throughout high school that’s actually negatively impacted me because I kept passing up opportunities and not taking actions that I should have.”
Lenk shared that he hoped audiences left with a different perspective, recognizing that potential alone is only the starting point.
Endersby also spoke with Peace Arch News prior to the event and shared that her presentation focused on music therapy.
This talk was inspired by the research she completed through her school’s Capstone project and volunteer experiences working alongside a young family friend with autism and ADHD.
“I think music therapy is really important and not very talked about in our society,” she shared.
Her presentation explored how music can build connections and support people through experiences ranging from developmental disabilities to anxiety, grief and loss.
Other presentations from Thenuli Ruwanpura, Michelle Liu, Leah Wang, Alveera Wahi and Zohra Khawaja explored topics including science, athletics, civic engagement, law, volunteerism and youth homelessness, encouraging audience members to challenge assumptions and become more involved in their communities.
As the first TEDx event hosted at Earl Marriott Secondary, organizers hope it serves as the beginning of an ongoing opportunity for young people to share their ideas, inspire others and showcase the perspectives of youth from across British Columbia.