Three students from Olympia High School shared a TEDx talk on April 25, 2026, in an attempt to help spread awareness about the stigma around autism and how important it is to compliment others. 

Sophomore Susanna Yan, junior Meika Lindgren, and junior Clare Lanese were the students who gave the TEDx talks. When receiving the news that she was going to give the talk, Meika Lingdren, “felt very honored and excited, not only to share [her] voice but also to connect with other students sharing theirs.”

Students often enjoy hearing from other students because they are able to relate and connect with what they are hearing. “I wanted students to take away that my TEDx talk is to bring advocacy and to be mindful of the things that they say at school,” Yan said.

Lindgren believes taking the time to compliment others and use kind words doesn’t take much effort. If students take a few seconds to compliment others, even about the simplest thing, it can help in “relieving individual insecurities, as well as … help foster social connections.” Lindgren said. 

People who compliment each other “know it’s not embarrassing to take the time to compliment someone else, and that their words can be more meaningful than they think.” Lindgren said.

Just as giving compliments doesn’t require much effort, being careful with the language used around students with special needs is also very important. Since a lot of people have autism, “That is something that I really wanted to address.” Yan said. Students who have to deal with autism already deal with enough, and no one wants to have things said behind their backs.