TAGT giftED19

To truly know and serve our gifted students, we must do more than hear their voices, we must understand their stories. Bringing our advocacy and awareness campaign, #whyGT to life in a TED-Talk style storytelling session, TAGT invites you to hear from five Texas G/T students as they share how G/T has impacted them, what motivates and drives them, and #whyGT matters in their lives. Sponsored by Annette Strauss Institute for Civic Life, University of Texas at Austin.

Faith Borkataky-Varma is a junior at St. Agnes Academy in Houston. Faith plays in the Chamber Orchestra and serves on the philanthropy committee of her school's student council. Every summer, Faith travels to India to volunteer at a school for children with special needs to teach reading, writing, and tasks of daily living. She also co-chairs the Hope for Three Teen Huddle, which supports siblings of children on the spectrum. As president of her school's Autism Awareness club, Faith hopes to spread awareness and raise funds through bake sales, school spirit events, and the stories she’ll be sharing at giftED.

Hana Bredstein is a freshman at University of Texas at Austin. She is studying international relations and enjoys running. She was identified as gifted in elementary school and experienced a variety of educational approaches as her family moved throughout the country. By seeing the different policies and levels of funding for G/T education (no other place compared to Texas), Hana found that there are many different paths from public to private to skipping grades, but the teachers and mentors along the way were what really made a difference.

Jayden Gathers is a sophomore who attends John M. Harlan High School in San Antonio and has been a part of the G/T program since the third grade. He enjoys playing a multitude of sports, including but not limited to basketball, football, and track. In his free time, Jayden enjoys spending time with family and friends but he also asks himself psychological questions and likes to think about the world and its mysteries. Jayden will be discussing how someone like him is looked at differently and why G/T has ultimately caused people to treat him differently as well.

Victor Rodriguez is a 16-year-old junior at Southwest Legacy High School in San Antonio. Victor proudly comes from a Mexican family. He has taken AP, Dual-Credit, Honors, and college-related classes throughout high school. Victor will share about how his heritage and specific family environment has helped him grow as a person and student.

Abigail Weston is a freshman at Round Rock High School. She enjoys running cross country, playing soccer, and participating in various school activities. Abigail’s gifted experience is unique in that she was also enrolled in a dual language program when identified for gifted education in third grade. She has reaped many benefits from the combined exposure to both of these programs. Her talk will highlight the challenging yet rewarding aspects of her journey as a dual language student.