By Janaesa Macasaet & Ariana Teasdale
STAFF WRITERS

A room full of people. A stage, bathed in light. The spotlight on Graham Igo. Murmurs spread throughout the crowd as the unexpected 15-year-old confidently strides out onto the stage. As cameras face him, he takes his spot in the middle. Clad in a professional blue velvet suit and tie, Igo captivates the audience’s interest. 

Igo spoke at the inaugural TEDxAndover event held at the Andover Country Club this past October. As he stepped on stage, Igo posed the question “how many of you have ever heard the term ‘be yourself’?” His speech, “The Cost of Fitting In,” featured personal anecdotes and skillful commentary on the societal pressures to conform, and the emotional effects of those pressures.

“I focused on others instead of myself, and when I did experience short-term satisfaction, I felt unfulfilled,” Igo said. “I was [just] doing what others were doing, which built up a lot of emotions.” 

TEDx events, different from TED conferences, are local and independently organized events. TEDxAndover is a newly established platform, organized by Andover resident Menka Hariani, that provides people with an opportunity to share meaningful ideas. Hariani was determined to create a platform in which she could empower diverse voices. Driven by a strong sense of purpose, she started working on the event application last year, and obtained the license for it in August. 

“As an organizer I was responsible for everything:” Hariani said, “finding the right speakers… pitching them… refining their scripts, finding the venue, all of the marketing… [in addition to] developing and designing the entire website.”

In just eight weeks, Hariani organized the first event, featuring five speakers and one performer. With overwhelming support from the Eagle Tribune and the AndoverMums Facebook page, the event was quickly assembled, and sold out with 100 people attending.

“With very little time, and not having enough background in event management, there were a lot of challenges…,” said Hariani. “I feel very fortunate and lucky that I got to work with people who delivered very high quality…work and made it…successful.”

 Featured speakers presented on a range of topics, from health and well-being to life strategies. In the lineup was AHS sophomore Graham Igo. Sharing the stage with highly accomplished individuals—an Olympic gold medalist, a Harvard professor, two CEOs, and an NBA dancer—Igo was surrounded by those with far more experience. As a high schooler, he provided a unique, younger perspective. Drawing from his middle school days, he discussed his own struggles with identity and how he was pressured by peers to fit in. 

Even as a first-time formal public speaker, Igo was confident in his abilities to deliver a talk. In order to prepare, speakers work with volunteer coaches to completely memorize their speeches. After intense practice, Igo presented with ease.  

“I read my speech a million times,” Igo said. “Just went over it line by line, trying to remember each part.”

Igo was not the only AHS student on stage, however. Hariani’s daughter, sophomore Jiya Jotwani, was the host. Hariani proposed the idea, though Jotwani was still required to go through the application process, with the chance of being rejected. With note cards in hand, she warmly introduced the speakers, supported by friends in the audience. 

“At first it made me really nervous. I felt a lot of pressure to not mess up,” Jotwani said. “But then, when we took a break… all of my friends told me I did super good and so I felt a lot more confident.”

Though initially attending the event to support host Jiya Jotwani, sophomores Grace and Hannah Arnold were quite impressed with Igo’s courage. 

Grace Arnold said, “[Igo’s speech] was really interesting…because he’s speaking to a room of primarily adults, by himself, and…giving a speech on something that a lot of people might…not accept him for. I think that was a really good example to set.”

The journey to uplift Andover voices has yet to end, however. A full-day TEDxAndover event is scheduled for June 2025, with hopes for ten speakers and two performers regarding the topic of invisible threats, which are problems people often disregard as harmful.

Hannah Arnold, approached by Hariani, has newfound inspiration to deliver her own speech after seeing well-established speakers and fellow classmates gain the chance in a lifetime. From her own experiences, she’s interested in speaking on learning strategies as well as how to handle chronic pain as a longtime soccer player. 

Hariani encourages people of all kinds to speak. “When I am looking for a speaker, I am only looking for great ideas. I don’t care what the background of the person is, I don’t care where they’re coming from; I’m only looking for diverse voices and great ideas that are worth spreading,” she said. All she hopes for is to “strike conversation in the community”.  

Interested in being a TEDxAndover speaker? Applications open January 2025. Refer to tedxandover.com for more information.