2026 Speakers
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Alma Cooper
is a Knight-Hennessy Scholar and Stanford master’s student in Data Science with a concentration in statistics, focused on using data and technology to expand access and opportunity. A West Point graduate and the 73rd Miss USA, she is a nationally recognized leader who has spoken to over 30,000 students nationwide and has built an engaged social community of more than 60,000 followers. As a woman in STEM, she has shared her expertise at SXSW and other national forums, using her platform to demystify technical fields and expand who sees themselves as belonging in them.
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Anagali Duncan
is a Stanford University senior studying Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity, graduating with honors in Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law. Born and raised on the Cherokee Reservation in Oklahoma, he specializes in Indigenous law, climate justice, and public policy, and has spoken at the United Nations and the White House Tribal Forum. He has conducted climate and environmental research at Harvard University and is the co-founder of 7 Ravens, a Native-led nonprofit advancing Indigenous youth leadership, environmental justice, and tribal sovereignty.
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Andy Chu
is a Harvard-trained emergency physician, filmmaker, and assistant professor at Stanford University. He has spent the past decade leading multidisciplinary teams to design and launch award-winning healthcare technologies that provide life-saving care in the emergency department, while turning to the arts and humanities to better understand the emotional impact of those decisions. His short film Life Support has been accepted to dozens of film festivals and has won multiple jury awards for Best Short Film, reflecting this blend of innovation and storytelling.
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Beatriz Stix-Brunell
had an 11-year career as a professional ballerina with The Royal Ballet in London. For over two decades, her day-to-day consisted of rigorous training in a high performance environment. Having transitioned from ballet to academia, currently pursuing her undergraduate degree in Symbolic Systems at Stanford, Beatriz understands firsthand the demands of mastering a discipline and navigating a major career transition; she has leveraged the rigor and skills honed through dance to pursue a new direction.
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Celine Qin
is a globally-recognized, award-winning youth activist, public speaker, and community organizer for racial justice, immigrant rights, and anti-carceral youth development. At 13, she founded The Reclamation Project, a non-profit social justice organization spearheading youth-led movements for systemic change, now mobilizing and educating youth worldwide. A first-generation college student at Stanford University and proud daughter of immigrants, Celine is additionally an Alexander Hamilton Scholar and 1 of 20 top U.S. female founders named a Grassroots Voices Fellow by Vital Voices Global Partnership, advancing bold solutions towards justice.
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Kris Evans
is a PhD candidate in social psychology at Stanford University, where his research focuses on how mindsets, awareness, and holistic mind–body practices shape health, well-being, and performance. His work bridges psychology, education, and applied interventions, integrating rigorous research with real-world impact to support learning, resilience, and well-being across academic, athletic, and professional settings.
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Michael Chaleff
is a former U.S. Navy Surface Warfare Officer and Gulf War veteran who became a federal prosecutor and trial attorney, then spent decades helping others communicate in high-stakes environments. He is the founder of Practical Influence, a consultancy devoted to helping individuals communicate with confidence, negotiate with purpose, and use storytelling to move people and shape outcomes. A magician and mentalist for over four decades, he brings a rare mix of stagecraft, psychology, and lived experience to help people speak with clarity, credibility, and courage.
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Morgan Reyes
is a senior transfer student majoring in Human Biology, with a concentration in Neurodevelopment and Childhood Growth and a minor in Medical Humanities. She conducts research with the Stanford SPARK Lab on child developmental domains such as problem-solving, scientific inquiry, and resilience, and is completing a Synthesis Project that incorporates narratives from patients and physicians about the diagnostic journey for neuroimmune axis disorders. Morgan aspires to become a pediatric neurologist, combining her passions for neuroscience, child development, patient advocacy, and compassionate care.