Being a "gifted kid" is great, right? Julie tells us her take on this classification and explains how young people's passions are being commoditized. Julie is seventeen. She is a researcher at Yale University’s Child Study Center, a dancer, a UN Project Award recipient, and an editorial fellow at The Adroit Journal. Last month, she won first place in the 59th Annual Nancy Thorp Poetry Contest. As a selfdescribed “exgifted kid,” she is passionate about exploring identity, productivity culture, and the exploitation of intellectual vitality. Julie believes in disruptive thinking in the pursuit of authenticity and self, and enjoys postmodern literature. 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