By STAFF REPORTER
After a competitive selection process, 11 speakers have been chosen for the sold-out TEDxLakeForestCollege event on October 27. In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TED Talks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized. (Subject to certain rules and regulations.)
This year’s event theme is “Curving the Straight Line”. “Curving the Straight Line” is the theme for the TEDxLakeForestCollege 2017 event. The theme “Curving the Straight Line” is a figurative representation of people who think differently. The TED & TEDx mission statement, “Ideas worth spreading,” aligns with this theme through the shared aim of giving voices to individuals with outside-of-the-box concepts or imaginative ideas. With this theme, we hope to spark conversation among speakers and audience members while providing a wide array of possible topics to be presented. Curving the Straight Line will act as a platform for creative people to be heard loud and clear.
The TEDxLakeForestCollege is a student-run event. It is organized by director and lead organizer Hakob Parsamyan ’20 and executive producer Hajar Habbal ’20. The event will take place at 5:00 p.m. on Friday, October 27.
The speakers come from all backgrounds to tell their stories, including three students, four faculty members, and four outside guests.
Lake Forest College students chosen to speak—and their topics—are:
Emily Murman ’18: “Tall Poppies: Growing up Gifted”
Krista Wickramasekera ’20: “The Glasses We Wear”
Sandra Khouri ’20: “Not a Victim or a Survivor, Just Healing”
TEDxLakeForestCollege also will include Forester faculty members:
Courtney Cain (Assistant Professor of History and African American Studies): “Walking the Curved Line to the PhD”
Linda Horwitz (Associate Professor of Communication): “The Pledge of Allegiance as Civic Pedagogy”
Matthew Kelley (Professor of Psychology): “How the **** Does Memory Work?”
Todd Beer (Assistant Professor of Sociology and Anthropology): “Climate Justice: Thinking About Global Warming Through A Different Lens”
Additionally, the outside guest speakers selected are:
Andrew Gabelic, founder of the artificial intelligence startup Teledipity: “We’re Lucky We’re Millennials Drowning in Debt”
Joanna Thompson, community outreach and engagement coordinator at Center on Halsted: “The Space Between: To Be Mixed-Race and Queer”
Kelley Kitley, psychotherapist: “I Show My Scars So Others Know They Can Heal”
Richard Lorenzen, entrepreneur and investor: “Why We Need More Young Entrepreneurs”
You can find more information about the speakers and their talks at the official website of TEDxLakeForestCollege www.tedxlfc.com
