My TED Journey
The Beginning
It all started in high school when my dad brought me to my first TEDx event: TEDxUMassAmherst. I was blown-away by the new ideas I heard, leaving me with a new sense of empowerment to make a difference in places that I had previously overlooked. What fascinated me the most was that a group of college students was able to organize an event that truly motivated people to follow their dreams. Every student should have the opportunity to explore new ideas and be inspired, just like I did.
That’s why I decided to bring TED to my community.
TEDxYouth@CCHS
During my senior year of high school, I created the first TED community at my school. I applied for an official TEDx license, rallied together a team of passionate students, raised sponsorships from local companies, and curated the most innovative speakers in the community. After a year of hard work we successfully brought the first TEDx event to Central Catholic High School.
TEDxCMU
At Carnegie Mellon University, I continued this passion as part of the founding team of TEDxCMU and the President for the past two years. Our vision is to build a community of thinkers and doers to share ideas and learn from each other. We’re committed to create the ultimate learning experience for people to open themselves up to new perspectives and leave inspired to make an impact.
Year after year we’ve been pushing the limits and scale of each TEDxCMU conference. Starting with less than 100 attendees at our first conference two years ago, I’m proud that we just successfully held our largest conference yet: TEDxCMU 2018, featuring diverse speakers from across the country and over 400 attendees from around the community.
Some of our past TEDxCMU speakers have included:
Luis von Ahn: Co-Founder & CEO of Duolingo
Jeff Schneider: Engineering Lead for Machine Learning at Uber ATG
Freddy Anzures: Designer for the first iPhone
Jianli Yang: A Tiananmen Massacre survivor and a Human Rights Activist
We have the most passionate and dedicated team working together throughout the year to make this all possible. I’m so amazed by how much we have accomplished and proud to be a part of this TEDxCMU family ❤.
How TED Has Changed My Vision
- Build a People-First Culture
People and culture have always been a core value of the TEDxCMU organization. Building a culture centered around meaningful connections, empathy, and respect creates an environment for everyone to be happier and thrive as creative individuals. Throughout the past years we consistently participate in social activities including karaoke, Escape the Room, group study sessions, and wine & cheese nights. By gradually blurring the lines between personal and professional, we have been able to become a much stronger, tight-knit community where we can trust and support each other.
We aim to create an ecosystem where every member is doing fulfilling work and knows that his/her opinions, just like everyone else’s, will be heard. We regularly check-in with each board member to make sure they are leading projects that they find meaningful and exciting. We stick to our belief in transparency to nurture the most productive conversations and communications.
We believe the the strongest cultures are ones built around empathy — the ability to understand another person’s perspectives and act with compassion and respect. Only then have we set the foundations for creativity, productivity, and ideas worth spreading.
2. Set an Ambitious Vision
We struggled to get 100 attendees the first year we held our TEDxCMU conference. Despite this, we set an even more ambitious goal the following year: holding the conference in McConomy Auditorium with over 400 seats.
This vision directed our team to have a laser focus, where we worked hard every single day to overcome our obstacles. The incredible amounts of energy within the team only motivated each of us to do more. We didn’t want to close our minds and limit what we could really achieve. We were driven to push ourselves past what we thought was possible.
By the time of the conference, not only were we able to completely fill up the entire auditorium, but tickets sold out within a week of going on sale. With our shared ambitious vision, we were able to turn our dream into a reality.
3. Be Open-Minded
We are all brought up with certain values, and most of us tend to continue surrounding ourselves with those who share those same beliefs. We are often resistant to change and moving beyond our comfort zone, limiting our personal growth and ability to deeply connect with others.
TED has taught me to be open-minded, to try my hardest to listen and understand the different voices and ideas the world has to share. Only by removing our own personal biases and prejudices are we able to immerse ourselves into new experiences. This mindset has allowed me to learn from the unique perspectives of each TED speaker, whether it was viewing the world from the lens of a 12-year old boy living in Kenya or of a professional snowboarder who lost both of her legs at an early age.
By opening the door of your mind and letting go of your current views and beliefs, you open yourself up to a world of new ideas and perspectives. An open-mind will truly enable you to continuously learn and grow.
