Adora Svitak facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Adora Svitak
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Svitak for the Wikimedia Foundation, 2019.
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| Born | October 15, 1997 Springfield, Oregon, U.S.
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| Education | University of California, Berkeley (BA) |
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Adora Svitak was born on October 15, 1997. She is an amazing American writer, speaker, and activist. When she was younger, she was known as a child prodigy because of her incredible talents. Adora also worked for the Wikimedia Foundation, which helps run Wikipedia.
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Adora's Early Life
Adora Svitak was born in Springfield, Oregon. Her mom, Joyce, came from China and grew up during a time called the Cultural Revolution. Her dad, John, was a software engineer. Adora got her first computer when she was just six years old. That's when she started writing short stories!
Speaking to the World
Adora is a very popular public speaker. In February 2010, she gave a TED Talk called "What Adults Can Learn From Kids." This talk has been watched over 6.3 million times!
Important Speeches
Adora has spoken at many big events around the world:
- She gave the closing speech at InfoCom 2013 in Calcutta, India.
- She spoke at INK Talks in India in 2010. There, she talked about how young people use technology today.
- Adora was a main speaker at the United Nations Economic and Social Council Youth Forum Conference in New York. The Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was there!
- She gave the keynote speech at the Girls' State of the Union in Washington, D.C. in 2013. Famous activist Gloria Steinem introduced her.
- Adora also spoke at the Mashable Social Good Summit in New York.
- She gave a keynote speech for the ECIS (European Council of International Schools) in France. She also visited students at the Dubai Women's College.
In 2015, Adora spoke to the National School Boards Association. She talked about how important it is to encourage students to read and write.
Organizing TEDxRedmond
From 2010 to 2013, Adora helped organize the yearly TEDx conference called TEDxRedmond. A TEDx event is like a TED Talk, but it's organized independently. An all-youth team helped her plan it!
What is TEDxRedmond?
The TEDxRedmond conference took place at the Microsoft Conference Center in Redmond, WA. More than 700 people came to the first conference in September 2010. Adora told Microsoft that she hoped people felt powerful after attending. She said, "I would love to see kids taking up issues that were important to them... I want them to see it's OK to take action. As a kid, your voice is important. Use it."
Adora's Books and Writing
Adora Svitak is a talented writer. Her first full-length novel is called Yang in Disguise. She started writing it in 2006, and it was published in 2011.
More of Her Writing
- Adora helped edit a book called Green My Parents: Join the Youth Movement to Seed the Green Economy in 2010.
- She wrote poems for the Redmond Centennial Poetry Anthology in 2012.
- Adora was a featured blogger for the Huffington Post. Her article "Would You Let Your Daughter Wear This?" got over 2000 comments!
- While studying at the University of California, Berkeley, she was the Editor-in-Chief of the Berkeley Political Review.
- She also wrote for Mashable and Edutopia.
- Adora reported for the online news site VICE. She interviewed astronomer Jill Tarter about the SETI organization, which searches for alien intelligence.
- She wrote a special column for Gulf News. It was for parents about how technology affects families today.
- Adora also blogged for the Gates Foundation and the Women's Media Center.
Making a Difference: Activism
Adora Svitak is also a strong activist. From 2005 to 2009, she was a champion for the Verizon Foundation's literacy program.
Promoting Digital Tools
In the summer of 2012, Adora wrote scripts and appeared in Google's "Teach Teachers Tech" videos. These videos showed teachers how to use digital tools in their classrooms. They were like Google's "Teach Parents Tech" videos.
Standing Up for Girls
Adora believes in equal rights for girls and women. She spoke about this at the Girls' State of the Union address. She also gave a speech at the Orange County Girls' Conference at UC Irvine. A Forbes article even called her "a new kind of Gloria Steinem in the Making." Gloria Steinem is a very famous feminist.
Adora also shared her thoughts on a magazine cover that showed Barbie. She felt that Barbie "...encourages an unrealistic expectation of beauty... instead of kindness, smarts, self-confidence, or athleticism."
Awards and Special Recognitions
Adora has received many awards for her amazing work.
- In 2011, the National Education Association Foundation gave her an award for her great service to public education.
- The Huffington Post put her on their "18 under 18 Most Amazing Young People of the Year" list in 2012.
- In high school, she was named a Redmond Rotary Club Student of the Month.
- Her "Girls' State of the Union" video won first place in a contest. This led to her speaking at the National Press Club.
- In 2013, Adora was named a Three Dot Dash Global Teen Leader. This was for her work organizing TEDxRedmond and helping the United Nations World Food Programme. As a Global Teen Leader, she attended a special leadership summit in New York City.
Images for kids
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Svitak for the Wikimedia Foundation, 2019.
