On Friday, Feb. 13, North Central College hosted the TEDx lecture event at Meiley-Swallow Hall. The event, pared with the tagline “Changing the World for Good,” focused on speakers who promoted social change and the sharing of innovative, high-impact ideas.
The event, officially titled TEDxNorthCentralCollege 2015, was independendtly organized and hosted by NCC’s Leadership, Ethics and Values program and the Student Affairs department. Although TEDx is not directly affiliated with TED (Technology, Entertainment and Design), the nonprofit foundation gave North Central, as well as hundreds of other institutions around the globe, permission to replicate its format and promote ideas worth sharing.
The event, which lasted from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., featured 12 speakers, half of which were alumni or otherwise related to the College given 12 minutes to speak, and the other half were student speakers who were allotted 3-minute talking periods.
Junior Rachel West, a choral music education major, titled her talk “Check Your Perspective, Not Your Privilege.” In it, she urged audience members to use their perspectives as a weapon to cut down privilege during their daily routines. “Everyone’s narrative is an important piece of our society,” said West.
Ryan J. Dowd, executive director at Ayuda, Inc. in Washington D.C., discussed the importance of failure and the moral consequences of inaction in his lecture “The Value of Moral Failure.” “You discover your purpose the moment you fail it,” declared Dowd. “And the world desperately needs you to discover your purpose.” Dowd asked the audience to not simply stand by their proudest moments, but to strive to learn from their shortcomings in order to become more realized participants in the real world.
Senior Matthew Wilke elaborated on his journey abroad in Israel and Palestine in his talk “The Power of Place: Non-Violent Resistance in Palestine.” The sociology major implored listeners to utilize sentiments of places to gain momentum and become more culturally and socially aware of one’s place in their environment. “In the little town of Bethlehem,” said Wilke, “I experienced the power of place.”
NeAngela L. Marshall’s section, “Intimate Advocacy,” wanted the audience to see advocacy as a relatable matter rather than a chore. Marshall, the Cook County Assistant State’s Attorney specializing in sexual assault and domestic violence, rallied for the value of personal connections to causes and the sharing of personal experiences with adversity. “Advocacy needs to be personal,” Marshall summarized at the end of her speech.
[metaslider id=3734]Senior Anthony Schullo’s contribution, “Pink and Blue: Communicating Gender to Children”, tackled the issue of interpreting gender through social practices such as associating certain qualities with masculinity and femininity.
“Finding Personal Greatness”, a speech by Dr. Kathy L. Guy, asked the audience to consider how they will leave their mark on the world and how complacency can sneak up on one’s ambitions. As the associate professor of educational leadership and policy studies at Florida State University, Dr. Guy urges other to not become comfortable with their discomfort and push themselves through the barriers they create around themselves.
Senior Jamie Mangiameli, sociology major, lead a talk titled “Mind, Body and Soul: The Corporate Impact of Mental Wellness Centers”. “As representatives of the workforce, we have an opportunity to ask for more,” said Mangiameli concerning the right of employees to have access to mental wellness centers.
Senior Abbigail Van Hook lent her own personal experiences as an outsider to her talk, “Unpacking my Baggage: Reframing Racial Identity.” Describing how her ethnicity and culture has affected her upbringing, Van Hook encourages others to not ignore their heritage when creating their own sense of self.
Sophomore Alex Moerer, a theater major, spoke to the power of going with the flow in his talk, “Improvisation: Overcoming the Stage Fear of Life.” “We’re all given this gift to make our lives art,” said an animated Moerer. “I want to inspire you to jump onto the stage of life and play with it.”
Jackie Mitchell, Director of the Celebrity and Entertainment Engagement section of the American Red Cross, began her talk with a question: “When was the last time you had a blossom of happy?” In her session, “Your Step-by-Step Guide to Injury-Free, Xtreme Optimism,” Mitchell urged the audience to pay more attention to when they are happy and take steps to be more optimistic in their daily lives.
Rick Guzman, assistant chief of staff at the City of Aurora Mayor’s Office, spoke to the strength of community involvement in “Discovering the Power of the Poor.” In it, Guzman outlined the mission statement of the Emmanuel House, a foundation created to help facilitate the creation of homes for impoverishes individuals.
Finally, NCC President Troy Hammond led “Sustainability: Why Universities Can Lead by Example.” President Hammond highlighted the efforts put in place by North Central College to help reduce its carbon footprint and improve sustainability standards across campus. “What if more and more institutions followed in sustainable colleges’ carbon footsteps?” President Hammond implored the crowd.
