“Thank you for coming to my TED Talk”: Elmhurst University Hosts Inaugural TEDx Event

Photo by — Gianna Montesano

Hands reaching for the sky served as the backdrop for the spotlight illuminated Mill Theater stage, the TEDx Elmhurst University emblem sat in bright red letters as students, alumni, and members of the EU community present original talks at the inaugural TEDx Elmhurst University event on April 23. 

14 speakers addressed the audience with their different topics under the umbrella of this year’s theme, “The Sky is Not the Limit.” The talks were robust in topics, ranging from dealing with grief, to self-care, to overcoming fear. 

The speakers included Wes Becton, Mallory Burke, Earl Fields, Susan Frick, Kim Graf, Jacob Hill, Zoya Khan, Kortney Peagram, Edgar Palomino, Shahnaaz Sakkaria, Sondra Simpson, Jordan Stibal, Jessica Sullivan-Wilson, and Lori Tompos. 

TEDx Elmhurst University took over a year to plan, spearheaded by Loubna Charef, EU MPM’21 graduate and co-host. In 2021 they applied for the TEDx license to host the event the same year, but ultimately it was pushed back because of COVID-19.

“It was really logical for me to organize and celebrate my time and experience here at EU by organizing a TEDx,” said Charef at the beginning of the evening. “It also gives us an opportunity to showcase our talented faculty, staff members, students, and also community members.”

Sullivan-Wilson, class of 2010, always knew she wanted to give a TED talk. However, her talk titled “Grief Isn’t Separate From Living. Period.” was not what she envisioned her first TEDx to be about. 

“I always thought it [her TEDx] would be about my expertise in education but after losing my mom it needs to be this story,” said Sullivan-Wilson. 

Sullivan-Wilson’s mother, Deatra Sullivan-Morgan, was a professor of communication at EU up until her passing in Nov. 2019. In her talk, Sullivan-Wilson was overcome with emotion, tearing up as she told the story of her experience with grief from the time she lost her grandfather at 14 years old to today.

“Grief is waking up in the morning looking good, feeling good, smelling good, and all of sudden your mind turns to wondering ‘why didn’t I pick up the phone that day when my mom called,’” said Sullivan-Wilson with a quivering voice. 

Speakers took inspiration from various facets of life. Becton was inspired by the show “Ted Lasso.”

“I thought there was something there [in the plot of Ted Lasso] that I could share but a little bit deeper and take those lessons and apply them to diversity, race, and gender,” said Becton. 

Becton began his talk by bringing out a photo of his toddler granddaughter. 

Nearing the end of his talk, he addressed the photo for the first time, stating that the young toddler is his biological granddaughter. He continued by asking the audience what they were thinking when he revealed that information and where their minds were because his granddaughter and he look vastly different.

Becton asked, “Be honest, was that question that you were thinking, was it coming from a place of curiosity or a place of judgment?” 

The evening was split into two portions, with the first seven speakers going in the first half, followed by an intermission, and the second half ending the night. 

Speakers were allotted 10-minutes to speak to the in-person and remote audiences in Illinois Hall that could not fit in the Mill Theater due high ticket demand. However, that did not stop the hosts, Tim “TJ” Panfil and Charef, from interacting with both audiences. 

Throughout the evening, the two hosts rotated between locations, hosting a t-shirt giveaway in Illinois Hall during the second session. 

While TEDx Elmhurst University was postponed a year because of COVID-19, it falls on the 150-year anniversary of EU’s founding, another inaugural milestone for EU.

“We’re creating opportunities for both students, faculty, and staff to share their experiences,” said President Troy VanAken. “One of the amazing things about a university setting is the mosaic of all of our experiences, all of our backgrounds create a backdrop for young people to find their way in life and this [TEDx Elmhurst University] symbolizes that in a real profound way.”

EU announced the launch of TEDx Elmhurst University on Sept. 28, 2021, via email calling for students to sign up to volunteer, and a follow-up email was sent on Nov. 1, calling for students, faculty, staff, and members of the Elmhurst community to apply for the opportunity to speak.

Over 40 people applied and it got narrowed down to the final 14 who spoke at the event. The speakers were trained by faculty beginning in February to prepare them for the talk. 

Applications for the 2023 TEDx Elmhurst University are anticipated to be sent out in the early fall later this year, the theme is yet to be announced.