My mentor said she loves my topic.

Mine zoomed with me for AN HOUR this week!

My mentor sent me her book with awesome stats for my talk.

She’s amazing - I literally can’t believe she’s my mentor.

Texts I received during Season 5 of Être TED-Ed this year, and as I scrolled week after week they just kept coming. And to me, this is what makes Être TED-Ed so special. Because in addition to a cohort of girls approaching the mic from 14 U.S. states and 7 countries, what differentiates Être's TED-Ed program is the pairing of each speaker with an epic mentor in the field of her talk.

Why do we do this? Two reasons.

First, it gives speakers ungettable access to extraordinary mentors…early. Imagine being 11 years old talking about DNA and having Nobel Laureate Jen Doudna as your mentor? Now imagine the following year having another Nobel Laureate, Claudia Goldin, mentor a 15-year-old writing a talk on gender and economics. Whether a Hall of Fame athlete, Formula 1 driver or the founder of a company Gen Z is obsessing over, pairing young speakers with epic mentors makes Être TED-Ed come alive.

The second reason we do this? These connections last. Mentors who participated in our earliest years now review resumes and champion internships for their former TED-Ed mentees. When a girl feels seen and heard as she prepares to take an iconic stage, she will undoubtable gravitate to the leader that made her feel that way as she eyes the next workplace stage.

For these reasons - and with all the gratitude in our global hearts - please indulge us as we thank the extraordinary mentors of Être’s TED-Ed Season 5. They are listed below in the show order, alongside the talk they advised and the speaker who rocked the stage.

LIVE SHOW

ACT 1 - #BE CURIOUS

Sarah Parauda for Eesha Vanamala on The Subtle Art of Being in the Right Place at the Right Time

Rebecca Winthrop for Aadya Anand on Why We Need AI-Optimized Education, But Not AI Teachers

Reshma Saujani, through her writing, for Tanya Shah on The Power of Imperfect Girls

Claudia Goldin for Rhea Shah on How Women Uplift Economies

Alicia Howell-Munson for Aminakhon Кalandarova on Brain Computer Interfaces and Restoring Sight to the Blind

ACT 2 - #BE CONFIDENT

Andreea Diaconescu and @Atoya Burleson for Anastasia Patoka-Smith on an Ode to My Afro: Big Hair and Big Dreams

Marina Khidekel for Hena Lad on Comparison Culture and Teenage Health Today

Columbia University archer Nidhi Kanchumarthi for Donya Fournier on Taking Aim and Thriving as a Student Athlete

Sheryl Sandberg for Hadley Horton on Grief, Joy, and the Magic in Between

Stef Strack for Maya Filian on The Silent Struggle: Mental Health in Sports

ACT 3 - #BE A STORYTELLER

Haben Girma for Ava Monteiro on Resilience in Silence and Amplifying Deaf Awareness

Anke Hofmann for Allison Zheng asking Why Do I Play the Harp?

Franny Choi, through her writing, for April Yu on Writing the Body as a Form of Power

Femiciencia leaders for Mariandré Quezada on How Marketing Shapes Society for Good

Francesca Tarantino for Elisa Miah on How Women Have Overcome Challenges to Revolutionize the Music Industry

ACT 4 - #BE CONNECTED

Mireille Harper for Sydnie Collins on How to Stop Performing and Start Being

Stacy Lilien for My Anhm Fan on The Culture of Pop-Ups and Why They're Popping Up Everywhere

Girls Who Lead for Cherie Animashau onThe Opportunity Gap & Youth-Centered Policy

Formula 1 leaders for Gianna Qui on Driving My Future: Learning from the Women in F-1

Lauren Post, MD FACEP FAAEM for Sharika Dhar on Women, Cardiac Arrest and the Simple Fix that Could Save Lives

ACT 5 - #BE BOLD

Kirpi Uimonen for Priyanshi Rajpoot on How to Combat Choice Paralysis

Shai Eisenman for Magnolia Baum on How Startups Actually...Start

Michelle McQuality Kelly for Asmi Kaushal on How Models and Role Models Are Breaking Societal Stereotypes

Dr. Faith Brown for Mariam Owusu on Hidden Leadership in Plain Sight

ACT 6 - #BE OUTSPOKEN

Michaela Pereira for Anvika Jain on Dealing Girls in and Playing the Hand of Politics

Brittany K. Barnett for Naomi Ascher on The Solution to Our Criminal Justice Crisis…Humanity

Jenny Just for Tucker Benedict on The Misconception of Disobedience

Neha Shukla for Katelyn Liu on Why Science, from AI to the Environment, is Deeply Human

ACT 7 - #BE A CHANGEMAKER

Katica Roy for Zoey Land asking Poor at Birth, Poor for Life: Is the American Dream a Lie?

Priya Elangovan for Patricia Block-Sheehan on Transforming Definitions of Female Leadership

Kimberly Belflower for Samantha Vance on Embracing Life’s Acts and the Parts We Play

Ann Shoket for Elsa Reisman on Social Media, Political Opinions and the Spread of Misinformation

ACT 8 - #BE YOURSELF

Stephanie B. for Auyona Ray on Imposter Syndrome and Being Underestimated

Rachel Straining for Maeve Houston on The Allergy Experience and A Teen's Perspective

Nicole Small for Luisa López Monzón on The Butterfly Effect of a Latina in STEM

Vera Anderson for Tabassum Rahman on how We Are What We Remember

VIRTUAL SHOW

ACT 1 - #BE CREATIVE

Miriam Spritzer for Lourdes Jimena Reyes on Why Theater Needs People and People Need Theater

Crystal Surrency for Viva Lee on The Garden of Us

Kate Kelley for Nitya Lohiya on Betting on Your Mindset: It's the Key to a Meaningful Life

Kirsten Cluthe for Saanvi Doshi on how The Globe is My Bucket List: The Call to Explore

Krista Berger for Madison Charles on Barbie's Role

ACT 2 - #BE A LEADER

Tere Riley for Fatima Daniela Maria Reyes Ramírez on Helping Latina Girls Build STEM Dreams

Global Oceanic for Maryam Liaquat on How a Glass of Clean Water Can Save the World for Girls

Shruthi Mathur for Paula Del Carmen Mendoza Hernández on Beyond the Stage of Being a Princess

Geena Davis Institute for Laura De Carvalho on The Cost of Fake News in Latin American countries

Yale International Relations Leadership Institute for Milagros Cardozo on Starting Early in Salta: How Students Can Expand Their Minds

Starting early is exactly what these speakers did. Deciding not to wait until college or graduate programs to dive deeply into big topics, Être girls from Argentina to Zambia found mentors and made waves on the TED-Ed stage.

Who will be next as we look towards Season 6? Which legendary women will lend their wisdom and spark awestruck texts from new TED-Ed speakers?

As our 2026 waitlist starts to fill, I cannot wait to see.

Looking forward with gratitude,

Illana

ÊXTRAS: Three more Être TED-Ed moments you won’t want to miss: A glimpse of NYC backstage glam, a link to the full live show and a new link to the full virtual show! Individual talk links coming soon!

Download

A Thank You Note to Our TED-Ed Mentors – From Grateful Girls at the Mic