CECHS student gives stand-out presentation on social anxiety disorder

Sometimes a 15-minute talk can make a long-term difference.

Gabriella Wannall, Challenge Early College High School

On May 18, several seniors at Challenge Early College High School participated in a TEDx event organized by Gifted and Talented Independent Study teacher Joshua Silberman. In the tradition of TEDx talks, more than 100 students spent the past year preparing short but compelling talks about chosen topics. Fifteen earned the chance to speak at the event.

The students presented talks on subjects ranging from archeology to the art of graffiti to online piracy.

In a standout presentation, senior Anna Vite attempted to change negative perceptions about Social Anxiety Disorder. Vite, who plans to attend Texas State University next year, chose to research social anxiety because she has experienced it herself and often encounters misconceptions about the disorder.

Anna Vite, Challenge Early College High School

In her presentation, Vite combined fact-based research with her own personal anecdotes about living with social anxiety. “It’s easier to get people to understand something through a story instead of facts and statistics,” she said. “I can stand up here and can show research and articles that go in-depth about this disorder, but it wouldn’t really make a difference unless you hear about how it affects a person’s life.”

In fact, Vite used her own research to relieve anxiety during her TEDx speech, by listening to music on her headphones simultaneously.

Thanks to this event, the students’ research can now be communicated to a wider audience on the TEDx YouTube Website.