Nazra Z.

TEDx Speaker

Apr 2026 - Apr 2026 • 0 mos

I first understood influence at seven, when I threw a wad of wet toilet paper at a ceiling and came back to find it covered in paper blobs. That moment sparked a lifetime in leadership. Fifteen years later, it put me on a TEDx stage. Selected from hundreds of applicants, I gave a talk called The Inconvenience of Influence. It drew on developmental neurobiology to bring unconventional wisdom into a genre that tells young people to find their tribe and dream big. I reframed wrong rooms, the ones that do not fit, as tools of discernment. The change I created at TEDx is the same change I want to create in every room I walk into —you are never too young to be bold, never too inexperienced to be honest, and always brave enough to be bold for the communities you serve. The talk is currently in production and will be available for viewing on the official TEDx Youtube channel before the end of 2026.

Chief Conference Organizer

Jul 2023 - Dec 2025 • 2 yrs 5 mos

I served as the Chief Conference Organizer at TEDxUofIChicago, spearheading the conference organization process and leading a large team comprising different committees (Logistics, Outreach, Fundraising and Marketing). It was in organizing TEDx conferences that I not just followed script but UNDERSTOOD exactly what conferences look for in a speaker - their 'X' factor. My role was integral in crafting an in-depth application process that allowed us to discern exceptional stories and speakers from an applicant pool of hundreds. From crafting our application form, to interviewing speakers over multiple selection rounds and following them through multiple iterations of their presentation, I saw presentations from their inception to the conclusion of the eighteen minutes they spent on stage.