Speaking on a variety of topics ranging from rugby to music, students of Diamond Bar High School took the stage to share their perspectives on improving mental wellness. The TED-inspired talks took place two weeks ago in the school theater.

An acronym for Technology, Entertainment and Design, TED is a nonpartisan organization dedicated to spreading thought-provoking ideas on a wide spectrum of topics through short talks in front of a live audience.

The event was hosted by the Wellness Center in an attempt to pioneer a different kind of Wellness Week campaign that included participants outside of the wellness program.

Junior Marissa Singh spoke about self love, beginning her talk with a personal story before transitioning into her epiphany on the places in which people look for love.

“I’m a wellness intern so each day I was checking the topics and…I saw that no one was talking about self love and this is a topic that is huge for me because it took me so long to get to where I am,” Singh said. “So I decided, if I do a TED Talk, maybe I won’t impact everyone’s lives but I can definitely help more than a few people who are struggling with the same things as me.”

Another talk focused on the notorious tendency of DBHS students to overwork themselves while striving toward their desired academic scores.

Junior Wesley Lu reminded the audience to remember to enjoy their high school experience instead of constantly stressing about grades.

“All my friends in all my classes just feel so stressed out all the time and I just wanted a way to let them all know that I’m there for them and I want them to know that there’s more for them to do, because I know they’re all capable people and there’s more for them [than grades],” Lu said.

Junior Julia Hong discussed a similar topic, speaking on the need for students to realize that they deserve to dedicate time for themselves, away from the pressures of school.

“[Speaking on stage] was really nerve wracking,” Hong said. “But I knew I had friends and my family in the audience to support me so I was able to keep on going even when I stuttered.”

Meanwhile, sophomore Karen Shao spoke out about the unrealistic nature of having the goal of perfection.

“Perfection was always something that I strived for but as I messed up more and more I came to a point of realization that nothing I’d do would be perfect, so I stopped trying to be perfect and then I was just Karen. I hoped to motivate people to do the same so they’ll try to let go of things that make them sad and do things that make them smile,” Shao said.

In her talk, Shao asserted that although people tend to strive for perfection in grades, reputation and appearance, the unattainability of this aspiration will only lead to unhappiness as people realize they cannot be perfect.

“It was super nerve wracking when I first walked on stage and my knees were shaking. I wasn’t scared of the audience, I was scared of forgetting my lines,” Shao said. “I definitely improvised a lot but as I talked more, I became very comfortable and I also knew that a lot of my friends were watching so that made me feel better too.”