You Don't Need a Degree to Change the World. | Laksamana Eka Navyanto | TEDxCRIBS Youth

A student from Cahaya Rancamaya IBS in Jakarta talks about feeling invisible in school and following unwritten social rules to fit in. Around sixth grade, he began to question that pressure and started a journey of self-discovery to find out who he really is. The talk was given at an independently organized TEDx event. He also explains that he joined TEDx to test his public speaking and hopes his talk will encourage others to embrace their true selves. The speech is presented by TEDx Talks and is embedded here with credit to the original provider.

• Feeling invisible and pressure to blend in during school years
• Realizing he did not know his own identity despite fitting in
• Starting a personal journey of self-discovery
• Encouraging others to embrace their true selves

Have you ever sat in a crowded school cafeteria, looked around, and felt completely invisible? I think we all have. In almost every school, there is this unwritten rulebook. It tells you what shoes to wear, what music to like, and how to act just to blend in. For a long time, I followed that rulebook perfectly. I became a master at camouflage. I wore the mask of "just blending in" because standing out felt way too dangerous. But when I was in 6th grade, I realized something exhausting. I was spending so much energy trying to be who everyone else wanted me to be, that I had no idea who I actually was. I was checking all the boxes to fit in, but inside, I just felt empty. So, I decided to do something kind of terrifying. I started a journey of self-discovery. I am a student from Cahaya Rancamaya IBS. I was born on the 11th of November 2013 in Jakarta. I have a deep curiosity of discovering new interesting things. My hobbies are playing football, playing games, and swimming. The reason I joined TEDx is because I wanted to test my current public speaking level, and to also make it a valuable experience and lesson for me in the future. I also hope that my TEDx speech will encourage others to embrace their true selves. 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