Nine speakers spoke at the second-ever TEDx Syracuse University event, held in Watson Theatre at 5 p.m. on Friday. The packed theater was made up of both students and members of the local community. The event revolved around the theme of “Evolve” and included topics such as diversity, technology and storytelling.

The speakers are “innovators, game changers, and world shakers,” as the event’s MC, junior advertising major Erin Miller, said in her opening remarks.

Petra Kolber

Fitness coach and two-time cancer survivor Petra Kolber shared her personal struggles with eating disorders, anxiety and striving for perfection.

Kolber, who introduced herself as a recovering perfectionist, warned against negative thinking, describing perfectionism as “a cancer of the spirit.”

“Perfectionists are terrified of making a mistake and so threatened by the success of others,” Kolber said, “while optimalists view mistakes as proof that they’re trying and inspired and encouraged by others in this world, doing great things.”

Derek Grassman

Derek Grassman, CEO of Kohilo Wind, advocated for clean, efficient energy by telling his own story of homelessness. He said the experience helped him appreciate the value of having energy for running water, heat and other daily needs. He used his own invention, which created a vacuum-like vortex around a wind turbine, for personal use before developing the idea further for broader use.

“You don’t want to wait ‘til it’s too late to make these decisions,” Grassman said. “You don’t want to wait to understand your power.”

Douglas Melville

Douglas Melville, chief diversity officer for TBWA Worldwide and a self-proclaimed “Halfrican American,” talked about increasing diversity in the world. He explained that diversity is “your personal currency,” and that people must be mindful about that personal currency. Melville advocated for nine alphabetized steps to improve “diversity IQ.”

A – Awareness
B – Be yourself
C – Check your bias
D – DNA drive- find out what your genes represent
E – Eat out more, try new foods and cultures
F – Focus on women’s issues
G – GLAAD matters, GLAAD is an organization that deals with LGBTQ matters
H – Hidden handicaps, be aware of things like depression or anxiety in others
I – Inspire, Insights and Information

Hailey Temple

Hailey Temple, a senior dual major in public relations and information management and technology, spoke about her experience in her third grade classroom on Sept. 11, 2001. She warned the audience about how modern terrorist groups are using technology and social media to spread their ideas.

“Today, I challenge all of you to use these technologies, not only to combat terrorism, but also to be agents of good,” she said.

Sean Kirst

Sean Kirst, an award winning journalist and writer, stressed the importance of the art of storytelling, and talked about a story he did about a “haunted” lighthouse that played host to a tragic boat accident. That story, he said, uncovered a 60-year journey to build a monument for the US Coast Guards lost.

“If you ask me why I do what I do, and you ask me about the power of a story,” Kirst said, “I’m going to say to you, ‘come with me to the lighthouse.’”

Charisse L’Pree

Charisse L’Pree, a professor in the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, spoke about the art of the “selfie” as a means of self-discovery, reflection and “effortful self-engagement.”

She said that nowadays, people use selfies to express and explore self-esteem, belonging, meaningful existence and control.

“I like to think of the selfie as the digital evolution of the self-portrait,” L’Pree said.

Bill Jensen

“What makes you, you? What makes you future strong?”

Management consultant Bill Jensen talked about how past experiences can help people through tough times in their futures. He told the story of his friend who fled from a his war-torn country at the age of 13, and later grew up to advocate that “every choice we make for a stranger, must be an act of love.”

Jensen told the audience, “Everything you do uses a portion of someone else’s life,” and urged that they used that time wisely and positively.

Ronald Taylor

Senior dual major in political science and policy studies Ronald Taylor presented a short but thought-provoking spoken word piece, acting as a lawyer presenting a client to a judge.

In the piece, the client was torn between two personalities — one represented one’s inner self, and the other represented one’s outside façade. He expressed discontent with society’s judgmental tendencies.

“Even now, your honor, am I being judged?” Taylor said in his piece. “Am I being put up on a precipice just to be knocked down again, your honor?”

Domingo Zapata

Spanish artist Domingo Zapata brought art into Watson Theater, painting his concepts on a large canvas for the audience to see.

He discussed art as a means of personal therapy, and used his personal experience of having an infant son in surgery as an example. During this stressful time, he sketched his baby and found peace in his art. In art, he said, he gets to “create (his) own world, where everything is a little bit more beautiful.”

“It’s very important that you don’t let go of the artist that lives inside of you…” Zapata said. “It might not make this world a better place, but it might make your world a bit more beautiful.”

Published on April 17, 2015 at 10:34 pm

Contact Bethany: babourga@syr.edu