This past Saturday, September 28th, Austin College hosted its fourth annual big TEDx event. In this event, six members of the Austin College community are chosen to speak on certain issues that they personally feel passionate about. They each have 18 minutes to relay their speech in front of a massive crowd filled with students, faculty, alumni, and individuals from the community. The theme this year was Shifting Perceptions. The executive student planning committee developed this theme with a guiding overlying statement.
“At one-time humanity perceived the world as flat. We had yet to observe the curve of its surface and our planetary position in the cosmos. Our perceptions are formed by sensory stimuli and shaped by personal experiences. By sharing our unique accounts of the world both individually and collectively, we provide a slightly broader view and make space for tiny shifts in one another’s perceptions. We may discover that the world itself has not changed. Rather, it is our understanding of it that has changed. After all, the world was never flat, but it took a shift in perceptions to see that.”
Some of the featured speakers this year included various alumni such as Aaron Flores ‘09, Kusha Mohammadi ’15, and Lindsay Williambrown ‘02. Each speaker had a powerful message that seemed to reach the audience in a way that might have shifted their perceptions. Followed by the Main Stage, there was also an opportunity for individuals to check out the Discovery Depot, which consisted of multiple booths that had interactive activities, set up by certain on-campus and off-campus organizations. During this time, the attendees were also able to meet the speakers and express any questions or concerns about the speech.
This year’s TEDx was one to remember and it certainly made an impact on many who attended. As the team continues to go bigger and better every year, I am curious to see what they have in store for next year.
