The Office of Student Activities will host its second TEDx event on Friday, Feb. 23, 2018, at 3 p.m. in the Rockland banquet hall.
The event, called TEDxStevensonU, will feature live presentations as well as videos from Stevenson faculty, staff, students and alumni, which focus on the central theme of the event: inspiring courage.
TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) is a non-profit media organization that posts videos of influential discussions by experts on topics that range from science, technology and creativity under the slogan “ideas worth sharing.” According to the website, TEDx events are independently organized by their respective local communities.
Luke Mastrangeli, the event organizer for the Office of Student Activities, hopes students who come to the event will leave with at least some form of impact. “I know that everyone has their own background and experiences, but these talks are meant to spark action and insight into the people who see [the speakers]. That is the hope for everyone attending this event. Students can learn a lot from their peers and I hope this platform facilitates some great dialogues among students,” said Mastrangeli.
To attract students to the event, the Office of Student Activities teamed up with Stevenson’s Office of Marketing and Digital Communications to advertise TEDxStevensonU.
Unlike the focus of last year’s TEDxStevensonU event, which was “Embracing Change,” this year’s event will focus on “Inspiring Courage.”
When discussing how this year’s event is organized, Mastrangeli said there is always room to improve Stevenson’s culture. “By taking positive student leaders, combining them with a fantastic Office of Student Activities and Division of Student Affairs, and making some type of positive change, everything just falls into place.”
Mastrangeli said that any public speaking event is successful if people learn something from the discussions. At TEDxStevensonU, “there is no medium to measure success at this type of level. You can listen but never truly learn. There will be some person who is touched and learns something. You can count on human nature for that.”
Food is being catered by Terri’s Café and tickets for the event are free and available now. Those who have questions or wish to know more about the event may contact Mastrangeli through campus email or visit Student Activities.