Outings: TEDxMSU!

TEDxMSU - Wharton Center (4 March)

• x = independently organized TED event
• theme: The Will. "The idea of willpower and the mental and physical processes by which brilliant ideas make it out of brain-space and mere musings... and into the real world."
•  Had to drop out of the organizing team last semester, but I still managed to find the free way in─volunteering as an usher! I was way up top on the "tier" floor assisting guests and watching the show from a spectacular view!
• Sooo many thought-provoking talks from creative, passionate, and candid people:

• Shannon Cason- "It's Okay to Be the Bad Guy" (owning your stuff/your truth and being an honest storyteller)
• Emily Weigel- "Hot or Not, Just Go for It" (patterns of sexual attraction and selection; what women want; behavior matters most)
• John Nowak from the band Desmond Jones- "The Power of Music" (music therapy enhancing social skills for kids with special needs; the necessity/gift of the arts and music in human life)
• TED@NYC video: Clint Smith - "The Danger of Silence"
• Austin Martin- "Connection and Compassion in the Age of Mass Incarceration" (marginalization and precarious conditions that formerly-imprisoned people face; rehabilitation and re-entry navigation)
• Sariah Metcalfe- "Land of the Free" (spoken word; my country is not mine; the US has yet to live up to its values; revolution, fighting to heal the world and clean up the mess)
• Can (Aiden) Wang - "Chinese Hot Cars: A Stretched Family Bond (negative misconception of Chinese international students on MSU's campus as spoiled flashy rich kids; money as a means for Chinese families to maintain connection with their children)
• TEDxToronto video: Dave Meslin- "The Antidote to Apathy"
• Apryl Pooley- "The Human Element of Recovery from Mental Illness and Addiction" (PTSD as response to rape and other traumas; create healing and combat shame and guilt through social support, humanity, sharing one's story)
• Young Yi- "The Problem of the Death Bed" (beating leukemia; regrets on the death bed; urgency, patience, and perseverance as key virtues to living a fulfilled life)

• Nearly 2,000 attendees at this, the second TEDxMSU event! There were only a hundred-something people at the first one three years ago. What an awesome turnout!
• Ran into friends Hilena and Marlee on my way out; photo op + food + long-overdue girl talk at a nearby caf

Congratulations to my friend boss-lady-coordinator-extraordinaire Irene, everyone in TEDxMSU (website / FB), and all the speakers for putting this fantastic event together. Y'all put a ton of hard work in over the past year, and I'm grateful to y'all for giving me the chance to experience a TED talk for the first time. Along with everyone else in attendance, I left feeling incredibly inspired. Thank you and well done to you all!