Ela Akyel’s speech explores how childhood curiosity is often stifled by traditional education, which prioritizes memorization and right answers over questioning and exploration. She argues that this limits creativity—a vital skill needed to solve real-world problems. Creativity isn’t just for the arts; it’s present in science, teaching, design, and everyday problem-solving. Yet, schools rarely treat it as essential. Akyel imagines an education system where creativity is nurtured, mistakes are valued as learning, and asking “why?” is encouraged—because the future depends not on who remembers the most, but on who imagines the most. Ela is a high school student who is very interested in both sports and technology. She is an active member of her school’s volleyball team. Playing volleyball helps her build strong teamwork skills, stay healthy, and have fun with her friends. She enjoys practicing with her team and taking part in school tournaments. Volleyball teaches her discipline, focus, and how to work together to reach a goal.Ela is also part of the school’s VEX robotics team. She enjoys coding, building robots, and solving technical problems. Through this team, she learns about engineering and how to create new ideas with others. She likes the challenge of thinking creatively and working with her teammates on projects. Both in sports and robotics, Ela shows that she is hardworking, curious, and always ready to learn something new. 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