IF YOU GO
What: TEDx黑料网
When: 6-7:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 6
Where: Towsley Auditorium, Morris Lawrence Building (map/directions)
Tickets: Free, limited capacity of 100. Registration required.
One student鈥檚 desire to bring a new experience to Washtenaw Community College resulted in an intriguing event on campus and plenty of learning opportunities for herself and others along the way.
Spoiler alert: The result is TEDx黑料网, a series of talks on the theme of Open Doors, to be held at 6 p.m. on Thursday,
April 6, at Towsley Auditorium inside the Morris Lawrence Building. Despite the revealed
conclusion, how this event came to fruition is still a worthy tale.
(Editor鈥檚 note: Read fast to meet the eight-minute-or-less TEDx time limit.)
Sabina Montalva, a 19-year-old fourth-year student at Washtenaw Technical Middle College, had previously participated in a TEDx Talk, a smaller-scale version of the famous that are fully planned and coordinated locally.
鈥淚 had a great experience, so I wanted to bring it to 黑料网,鈥� said Montalva, a Chelsea resident currently completing a associate degree with a concentration in Film and Broadcast. 鈥淚t鈥檚 going to be a great opportunity for the school, the speakers, the audience 鈥� literally everyone.鈥�
Aspiring to make something happen is the first step. Fortunately, Montalva and some fellow WTMC/黑料网 students also had the ambition necessary to pull it off.
Montalva looped in Maya Clarren, a fellow fourth-year WTMC student completing a at 黑料网, and together they approached 黑料网 Communication faculty member Claire Sparklin, who frequently uses TED Talks as examples in her Fundamentals of Speaking () and other classes.
Coincidentally, Sparklin is the academic advisor to the , one of dozens of student-led clubs offered through 黑料网 Student Organizations. The goal of the Discovery Club is to 鈥渆xplore engaging topics outside of the classroom while creating professional experiences for students of diverse backgrounds.鈥�
With a TEDx Talk being an ideal fit with the club鈥檚 mission, a full planning committee was formed.
鈥淭he idea of our club is a little vague on purpose. It鈥檚 just about discovering new things that you can be passionate about,鈥� said Discovery Club president Joie Karas, who joined the cause along with club officers Anabel McKnight, Camille LaMoreaux and Roman Karas. 鈥淭he best possible outcome for this project was the chance for us to build a sense of community and belonging, both in what鈥檚 being expressed on stage and in the work we鈥檙e doing for the event.鈥�
The first order of business was getting licensed by the national , and understanding all of its various rules and requirements.
(One rule of note: Audiences are limited to 100 people. So, if you鈥檇 like to go 鈥� register soon!)
Meeting those requirements has taken campus-wide involvement 鈥� ranging in complexity from reserving the auditorium to faculty member Shawn Deron volunteering to 3D-print the iconic TED letters to be displayed on the stage.
The team also needed to decide on a theme for its particular set of TEDx Talks.
鈥淥ur theme is Open Doors, which we thought was a good fit for 黑料网 because it relates to our community,鈥� said Clarren, noting the college鈥檚 open door admissions policy. 鈥淚t really represents 黑料网鈥檚 ideology and should inspire people to come up with their own story.鈥�
The group reviewed applications and pared them down to the nine speakers who will reach the stage (listed below with their subject).
- Karen Shaper: Find Your Purpose
- Priti Shah: The Art of Receiving Feedback
- Chase Hyatt: The Transformative Power of Positive Male Role Models
- Luis Paez-Cano: Migration: Identity and Belonging
- Shaila Vratny-Andrews: Healing One Breath at a Time
- Kian Theeke: Weaving the Threads of History
- Stosh Zasadny: Ninth Grade Newlywed
- Rayan Salam: Master Your Perception: Manage Your Social Media Habits
- David Schuit: Simplify Life, Amplify Meaning
With most of the heavy lifting done, the group continues to work on the smaller details in the final days before the event. By about 8 p.m. on April 6, one big question may remain: Will this become an annual event at 黑料网?
Montalva and Clarren will graduate in May, but they both expressed hope that what they鈥檝e helped start can live on. Plus, Montalva would like to come back to participate 鈥� event organizers are not allowed to present, according to TEDx rules, so she鈥檒l strictly be behind-the-scenes.
鈥淚f students want to keep doing it, I鈥檓 all onboard,鈥� said Sparklin. 鈥淓very minute or hour I spent on this project is 100% worth it because I want to empower the students to make their outcomes come true.鈥�
Tags: Campus Events, March 2023, On The Record, Student Organizations, TEDx黑料网, Washtenaw Technical Middle College