As the trio of strong, empowered Mercer Island High School junior women discussed their upcoming TEDx video conference, they remained socially-distanced. Their minds, however, have been locked in tight since they shared the same block class last year.

Close friends Kelly Cotter, Anika Lechner Armitage and Anantika Mannby are looking forward to making an impact with their independently organized TEDxMercerIslandHSWomen free #women4change event on Nov. 14. TED is a nonprofit that initially zeroed in on spreading ideas regarding technology, entertainment and design starting in 1984. Today, the organization’s talks include science, business, global issues and more.

During their Zoom interview with the Reporter, Lechner Armitage glanced at her friends, and from under her mask a smile was surely forming when she noted that Cotter and Mannby are some of her role models. At the same time, she unveiled the trio’s main message.

“They’re both very ambitious and passionate about what they want to do, and that inspires me to also do more for my community and go for my goals more passionately. Being able to work with these really empowering and progressive women is also really nice,” said Lechner Armitage, as the women on the receiving end of that praise slightly chuckled as they looked toward their friend.

They’re all in this journey together and they hope to bring a host of high-school-aged viewers into their world during a pivotal time in their lives. They said everyone should reach for their goals and not be held back.

Mannby said they want to voice the TEDxMercerIslandHSWomen’s message loud and clear: “Hey, all female students, all students of the high school, all high schools around, you can be anybody and you can have a strong voice and that’s empowering and that’s not something to be ashamed of.”

Mannby noted that it’s sad that they have to discuss how women’s voices are often shrouded in society. During her high-school years, she’s found her own voice and confidence.

“I think that’s something that’s really important to me is that path that all girls realize that their voice is equally important and we really want them to be heard,” she said.

The Mercer Island TEDx event was Cotter’s brainchild, with the idea coming onto her radar over the summer.

“It was when Black Lives Matter and the protests were at a height and I was kind of just thinking, ‘Wow, I don’t really have any teachers or role models in the community that are people of color,’” she said. “I wanted to look for women like me.”

Cotter, who is interested in nonprofit work, learned about TEDx talks after browsing on LinkedIn and realized she could present her own event.

“I think that if one thing that I learned over current events is that young people are kind of like the underdogs of society — they can really do so much,” she said. “I just wanted to create a platform where more girls like me could find their role models.”

The female speakers for the event are passionate about their careers and thrive in their fields, Cotter said. “Hearing stories from people who we can relate to and know what’s ahead of us is really important and can be really empowering,” she added.

With the local event, the girls are hoping to make an impact not just for now, but for all time. After the event is streamed on YouTube, they want the videos to become part of their school’s curriculum and Islander Hours and be shared with the local community and in the greater Seattle area. They’re working to have it included on the official TEDx YouTube page.

“I don’t think we want this to be a one-day event, we want it to keep on reminding people — boys and girls— that anyone can do anything, and just follow your passion,” Cotter said.

Added Mannby: “I hope with #women4change, I hope we are a generation that can bring change, and I hope the female peers all around me, that they can get the empowerment they need in order to be these people who enact great change in their futures.”

* The Mercer Island TEDx event will take place on YouTube from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Nov. 14. For information, visit https://www.ted.com/tedx/events/39222.

Confirmed speakers include Dee French, a business strategist, leadership mentor and humanitarian; Dr. Gloria Burgess, inspirational keynote speaker, best-selling author and executive coach; Erin Okuno, executive director at Southeast Seattle Education Coalition; Jana Sutherlerland, fashion designer and consultant; Lori Tsugawa Whaley, inspirational keynote speaker, best-selling author, life coach, ethics consultant and storyteller — Japanese folk tales; Rebecca Samarasinghe Perrault, senior director of diversity and inclusion at PRO Unlimited; and Shelmina Abji, global empowerment speaker. Speakers Chris Rupp, EVP, chief customer and digital officer at Albertsons Companies; Tira Murray, digital media professor, founder of ProfessingForward; and Reagan Jackson, program director at Young Women Empowered, were recently added to the program.