Why I Signed Up for Encounters TEDEd Club and What Inspires Me to Go Every Month: Alyza Samji

My name is Alyza Samji and I am a Grade 11 student at Mulgrave School.

One of the main reasons I joined the Encounters TEDEd club is due to its pertinence to all areas of life on a local and global scale. Within the club, I find I am able to explore areas I am passionate about including diplomacy, economics, and international relations. Additionally, I have found that the TEDEd club has served as the catalyst for newfound interests. It challenges me to find the correlation between areas of knowledge that may be misconceived to not have a direct relationship. For example, I have been able to combine my interest in service within my community and economics by exploring the impact and use of microfinance in developing, impoverished countries. This includes but is not limited to; exploring the demographic of people microcredit is catered towards, short/long term impacts of the receiver, credit history of families etc. With adequate research I have been working towards exploring whether lending small amounts of money to people of a lower socioeconomic status is beneficial for those in substandard living conditions. The aim of this is for the funds to be used to start their own businesses and become self sufficient. Not only this, but I am able to use the club as a networking opportunity by sharing experiences and acquire knowledge from my peers with varying exposure, backgrounds and specialties. In doing so, this club has long-lasting impacts on my development as a global learner as well as serves as an outlet for me to share aspects of life I am passionate about.

(January 16, 2020)