Hello Everyone! Today I want to leave you with two things, one is making a case for working for free and two is to create a superhero out of everyone present. Borrowing the words of Chimamanda Adichie the Great, I would like for all of us to make it our life mission to be volunteers (and feminists). I have a fun fact to share, how many of us want to hear it? (gestures to count the number of hands raised) 1, 2, 3, 10, 15, 25! Those are a lot of hands, well this is my fourth time on the TED stage (pause) and my first time as a speaker with a live audience. 

Just like every superhero and villain, I too have an origin story. I recently ran into my English Teacher, Mrs Fatima, from secondary school, and seeing her a decade later, I was reminded of the profound impact educators have in shaping the destinies of their students. It all started with an essay I had written about Sanitation Day which came from a story my mother had shared. I poured my heart onto the page painting a picture of what those days were like and I showed the power of shared responsibility, and coming together to solve a problem. Little did I know that a simple assignment would change everything. Mrs. Fatima's encouragement didn't stop at the mere review of my essay; she rallied our school and community to action, organizing frequent clean-up days reminiscent of my mother’s sanitation day. She loved the essay to the point of taking action and inspiring others to take action. This created a spark within me to write more, it became my refuge, voice, and superpower. Something else that happened during community clean-up days was I got introduced to the word ‘volunteer’. 

Now according to the World Bank, the time donated to the workforce through volunteering contributes an estimated $400 billion to the global economy annually. I know you are wondering if my time is this valuable, why am I working for free? Well, I got my first headstart in my career through volunteering. It has shaped my career and character optimizing me for growth and impact. It has also taught me four vital lessons like 

1. seizing opportunities despite immediate gains, 
2. prioritizing networking for meaningful connections
3. embracing humility and understanding true success lies in contributing to the greater good 
4. and lastly, practicing to speak on a TED stage three times before today 

Writing and volunteering may seem different, but they both share a common goal: helping others. When you volunteer, you give your time and effort to make things better for others or a cause. When you write, you put your thoughts and feelings into words that can inspire, inform, or entertain. Both activities aim to make a difference. So, my friends, I leave you with this challenge: find your superpower, wear the metaphorical cape of that skill you love, and embrace your inner superhero.