-
Waiter: May I help you sir?
-
Customer: Uh, let's see.
-
Waiter: We have pan seared registry error
-
sprinkled with the finest corrupted data,
-
binary brioche, RAM sandwiches,
-
Conficker fitters,
-
and a scripting salad with or
without polymorphic dressing,
-
and a grilled coding kabob.
-
Customer: I'd like a RAM sandwich
-
and a glass of your finest Code 39.
-
Waiter: Would you like any desserts, sir?
-
Our special is tracking cookie.
-
Customer: I'd like a batch of some
zombie tracking cookies, thank you.
-
Waiter: Coming right up, sir.
-
Your food will be served shortly.
-
(Applause)
-
Maya Penn: I've been drawing ever
since I could hold a crayon,
-
and I've been making animated flipbooks
-
since I was three years old.
-
At that age, I also learned
about what an animator was.
-
There was a program on TV about jobs
-
most kids don't know about.
-
When I understood that an animator
-
makes the cartoons I saw on TV,
-
I immediately said, "That's what I want to be."
-
I don't know if I said it mentally or out loud,
-
but that was a greatly defining moment in my life.
-
Animation and art has always been my first love.
-
It was my love for technology that sparked the idea
-
for "Malicious Dishes."
-
There was a virus on my computer,
-
and I was trying to get rid of it,
-
and all of a sudden, I just thought,
-
"What if viruses have their own
little world inside the computer?
-
Maybe a restaurant where they meet up
-
and do virus-y things?"
-
And thus, "Malicious Dishes" was born.
-
At four years old, my dad showed me
-
how to take apart a computer
-
and put it back together again.
-
That started my love for technology.
-
I built my first website myself in html,
-
and I'm learning Javascript and Python.
-
I'm also working on an animated series
-
called "The Pollinators."
-
It's about bees and other
pollinators in our environment
-
and why they're so important.
-
If plants aren't pollinated by the pollinators,
-
then all creatures, including ourselves,
-
that depend on these plants, would starve.
-
So I decided to take these cool creatures
-
and make a superhero team.
-
(Applause)
-
(Foot stomp)
-
(Music)
-
(Roar)
-
Character: Deforestsaurus! I should have known!
-
I need to call on the rest of the Pollinators!
-
(Music)
-
Thank you. (Applause)
-
All of my animations start with ideas,
-
but what are ideas?
-
Ideas can spark a movement.
-
Ideas are opportunities and innovation.
-
Ideas truly are what make the world go round.
-
If it wasn't for ideas, we wouldn't be
-
where we are now with technology, medicine,
-
art, culture, and how we even live our lives.
-
At eight years old, I took my ideas
-
and started my own business called Maya's Ideas,
-
and my non-profit, Maya's Ideas for the Planet.
-
(Laughter)
-
And I make eco-friendly clothing and accessories.
-
I'm 13 now, and although I started my business
-
in 2008,
-
my artistic journey started way before then.
-
I was greatly influenced by art, and I wanted to
-
incorporate it in everything I did, even my business.
-
I would find different fabrics around the house,
-
and say, "This could be a scarf, or a hat,"
-
and I had all these ideas for designs.
-
I noticed when I wore my creations,
-
people would stop me and say,
-
"Wow, that's really cute. Where can I get one?"
-
And I thought, I can start my own business.
-
Now I didn't have any business plans.
-
I was only eight years old.
-
I only knew I wanted to make pretty creations
-
that were safe for the environment
-
and I wanted to give back.
-
My mom taught me how to sew,
-
and on my back porch, I would sit and make
-
little headbands out of ribbon,
-
and I would write down the names
and the price of each item.
-
I started making more items like hats,
-
scarves, and bags.
-
Soon, my items began selling all over the world,
-
and I had customers in Denmark, Italy, Australia,
-
Canada, and more.
-
Now, I had a lot to learn about my business,
-
like branding and marketing,
-
staying engaged with my customers,
-
and seeing what sold the most and the least.
-
Soon, my business really started to take off.
-
Then one day, Forbes Magazine contacted me
-
when I was 10 years old.
-
(Laughter)
-
They wanted to feature me and my company
-
in their article.
-
Now a lot of people ask me,
-
why is your business eco-friendly?
-
I've had a passion for protecting the environment
-
and its creatures since I was little.
-
My parents taught me at an early age
-
about giving back and being a
good steward to the environment.
-
I heard about how the dyes in some clothing
-
or the process of even making the items
-
was harmful to the people and the planet,
-
so I started doing my own research,
-
and I discovered that even
after dyeing is being completed,
-
there is a wast issue that gives a negative impact
-
on the environment,
-
for example, the grinding of materials,
-
or the dumping of dried powder materials.
-
These actions can pollute the air,
-
making it toxic to anyone or anything that inhales it.
-
So when I started my business,
-
I knew two things:
-
all of my items had to be eco-friendly,
-
and 10 to 20 percent of the profits I made
-
went to local and global charities
-
and environmental organizations.
-
(Applause)
-
I feel I'm part of the new wave of entrepreneurs
-
that not only seeks to have a successful business,
-
but also a sustainable future.
-
I feel that I can meet the needs of my customers
-
without compromising the
ability of future generations
-
to live in a greener tomorrow.
-
We live in a big, diverse, and beautiful world,
-
and that makes me even more passionate to save it.
-
But it's never enough to just
to get it through your heads
-
about the things that are happening in our world.
-
It takes to get it through your hearts,
-
because when you get it through your heart,
-
that is when movements are sparked.
-
That is when opportunities
-
and innovation are created,
-
and that is why ideas come to life.
-
Thank you,
-
and peace,
-
and blessings.
-
(Applause)
-
Thank you. (Applause)
-
Moderator: So you heard Maya talk about
-
the amazing parents that were behind
-
this incredible woman. Where are they?
-
Please, Mr. and Mrs. Penn. Would you just—Ah!
-
(Applause)