When we are posed with difficult choices, we often choose the less risky and more comfortable path to follow. But sometimes choosing the safest route means we miss out on opportunities and experiences. So how do we take the first step and embrace uncertainty? Angelina Lue, a rising senior at Los Altos High School, will discuss how she gained the courage to start a clothing company, Ivory Tees, to save elephants at the ripe age of 13 and the lessons she’s learned along the way that she will take with her into adulthood.

Despite Angelina Lue’s young age of 17, she has proven that age is just a number. In 8th grade she started Ivory Tees, a clothing company dedicated to saving elephants and spreading awareness about the poaching crisis. Her efforts and donations from Ivory Tees have helped save 16 baby elephant orphans in Kenya through the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust.

She has applied what she has learned to a more recent project to supply masks for health care workers nationally, and her non-profit Fighting For Heroes has donated over 29,000 surgical masks and N95’s to 30+ hospitals and health care centers in the Bay Area, NYC, the Bronx, Chicago, and Navajo Nation.

Outside of her social projects, Angelina’s passion for using her voice has influenced her love for speech and debate. She is the President of the Mountain View-Los Altos Speech and Debate team and has ranked in the top 10 nationally in Parliamentary debate. In her free time, she loves to cook and experiment with different cuisines from all around the world, and most of all, she loves to spend time with her friends and family.

Learn more about Angelina and her work at Ivory Tees and Fighting For Heroes, and watch her TED talk.