Jakhongir Azimov and Bonnie Stoller

Born and raised in Uzbekistan, Jakhongir Azimov fell in love with storytelling after discovering TED Talks. His interest in people and their ideas led him to becoming a license holder of the debut TEDx event in his country. That experience landed him a writer position in local online newspaper, Voice of Tashkent, where he contributed feature stories. Currently, Jakhongir is pursuing a graduate degree in creative journalism at the University of Alabama as a part of the Fulbright program.

Bonnie Stoller is a former banking analyst turned writer and documentary film executive. Her work covers issues of society, modernity and the human experience in-depth. She is a 2014 graduate of Georgetown University and a north suburban Chicago native.