Why do you do what you do? If you were to die tomorrow, what would you leave behind? We all have a personal story of a time in our lives that we decided to make a change, but can you still recognise the motivation behind your actions today? In this wonderful blend of public speaking and spoken word, Ayan Aden asks us to consider the way in which we live day-to-day. She talks about legacy as "doing the small things big, not the big things" and, with the use of lyrical mastery, she talks us through her personal tale of legacy. [CREDITS: Organising Committee: Jane Hearst, Simon Baines, Max Chikwanha. Events Team: Laura Wilson, Jane Colebourne, Yasmin Ali. AV Lead: Mark Dimartino Marriot. Film Lead and Editor: Peter Hutchinson. AV Student Support Team: Yara Abdalgany, Eva Asante, Joseph Tobin. Speaker Coaches: Sanjaya Pandit, Mark Prescod] A Cultural Ambassador and Community Role-Model, Ayan is a woman of many hats.

Board Member at West Midlands Combined Authority Youth Board, Vice President of Aston Somali Society and Vice President of SYFI (Midlands Region). Politics and Economics Student at Aston University, Freelance Project Manager, Public Speaker and Spoken Word Artist.

Ayan is passionate about leaving an impact on her community, of preserving culture and inspiring the next generation of leaders. Her work deals with themes of identity and legacy. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx