The Only Girl In The Room | Botakhangua Batchuluun | TEDxShildeg School Youth

Botakhangua Batchuluun reflects on being the only girl among male math competitors and the only girl on a football pitch. The talk argues that knowledge, mentorship and encouragement received from others carry a responsibility to pass them on to the girls who follow. It presents sports and STEM achievements as tools for lifting others rather than personal trophies. The video is a TEDx talk given at an independently organized local event.

• Being the only girl in math olympiads and on the football field
• Passing on knowledge, mentorship and encouragement
• Treating achievement as a tool to uplift others

When you are the only girl in a room full of male math competitors, it is easy to view your position as an isolating anomaly or a burden to carry alone. However, privilege and responsibility live on two sides of the same coin. Every piece of knowledge, mentorship, and encouragement you receive from those who paved the way becomes a signal for what you must give forward. That same principle plays out on the football pitch. Step into a game as the only girl on the field, and you quickly learn that progress is never a solitary effort. It relies entirely on receiving a hard pass, trusting your teammates. Holding onto the ball for too long stalls the play, just as keeping academic space for oneself creates a dead end. Knowledge, like a well-timed pass, is not a finite resource to be guarded; it is a spark that multiplies when shared. When we treat our achievements in sports and STEM not as personal trophies, but as tools to uplift others, we bridge the gap between individual success and collective empowerment. The ultimate goal of receiving a seat at the table or a spot on the pitch is to ensure that no girl who comes after you ever has to stand in that room alone. Botakhangua is an olympiad participant, soccer player, researcher, and a poet. Moving between competitive mathematics, athletics, and creative writing, her work centers on resilience and community. She is passionate about breaking stereotypes and creating space for girls to pursue whatever interests them without any limits. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx