By George Simonton

Everyone has seen videos on the internet of complicated talks explaining concepts about things like the future of artificial intelligence in our everyday lives. There also talks on more simple concepts, like why most people are tying their shoes wrong. But what exactly are these speakers doing, preaching about random topics on a circular red carpet? They are all giving TED talks. TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to spreading ideas in the form of short yet powerful talks. TED began as a conference for Technology, Entertainment, and Design in 1984 but today seems to cover nearly any topic imaginable. They can be entertaining and informative, but TED talks aren’t exactly something that the regular person gets to see every day.

TED events cover a wide range of topics and are carefully prepared to spark inspiration and provoke conversations that will impact the world around us. A TED event that is independently run is called a TEDx event, with the goal of sharing ideas in a variety of communities throughout the entire world. Collegiate has been hosting its own TEDx event, called TEDxYouth@RVA, for ten years. The event is orchestrated entirely by a team of students and is of the same quality as events put on by professionals, all while being completely free to the public. 

Oates Theater prepared for the event.

I was a part of the curatorial team for TEDxYouth@RVA this year, which took place on Saturday, November 11 in Oates Theater, and it was an experience like no other. My journey with this event started at the beginning of my Senior year in my Senior Capstone class, where our sole purpose was to put on this event. Within a few weeks, we were all brainstorming and pitching different ideas for speakers and were assigned jobs so we could all perform and specialize in our own roles efficiently. It was engaging to work in an environment that did not resemble a typical classroom. Senior Peyton Dunn (‘24), who was in charge of video production, said, “The hard work really paid off, and the experiences that I made along the way will really stick with me.”

We were all guided by our teachers, Director of JK-12 Capstones Rhiannon Boyd and former Director of Inclusion and Global Engagement Erica Coffey, who helped us ease into our specialized role work, and we often worked without needing any specific instruction after getting into our roles. I was in charge of finances and sponsorship and spent most of my time reaching out to companies to see if they would be willing to support our event. The class as a whole also proofread the speakers’ talks and discussed ways to improve the event. The students were the ones who made all of the final decisions, which is something that is quite rare to see in an event like this and gave us a great deal of responsibility.

Eventually, our team chose our final list of speakers and performers, selected the theme, and advertised the event around town. After working hard all semester, we finally were able to set up for the dress rehearsal on Friday, November 10 as we prepared to finally meet the speakers in person. The team was able to have a catered dinner and really get to know the speakers on a personal level the night of the dress rehearsal. All of the talks went off without a hitch, and a group of students gave feedback on how the speakers could improve their talks, with subtle changes, like when to pause and which words to emphasize. 

The day of the event, we arrived four hours earlier to go over safety procedures, set up for the meet and greet afterwards, and review the technical nuances that go into putting on and recording a talk on stage. The speakers slowly showed up and started to do their sound checks as they mentally prepared to give a TED talk in front of a live audience for the very first time. 

The audience began to trickle in little by little, and suddenly the very thing that we had been working to put on for months was under way. The first talk was a striking and important talk by Dr. Bonnie Price, a forensic nurse who detailed the tasks her team completes daily and how necessary her area of focus is. Despite its importance, the vast majority of hospitals do not have a forensic nursing program, and patients are often left stranded at the end of the waitlist when it comes to getting the right type of care in the emergency room. 

Dr. Nastassja Lewinski.

An interesting and intellectual talk about the use of nanotechnology to save our corals by Dr. Nastassja Lewinski was followed by one of my favorite performances of the night from Justin Golden, a Virginia native who has been performing music professionally for the last ten years. He sat in the center of the stage with his guitar, and his tunes filled the air. 

After this calming performance, psychologist Dr. Anjali Ferguson spoke. She talked about how parents could help navigate racial bias in their children. Halfway through Dr. Ferguson’s presentation, there was a commotion in the front left of the auditorium. The lights came back on, as an audience member was having a medical emergency. Everyone was directed to the café as emergency services were called. Luckily enough, there were medical experts in the crowd, as well as the previously mentioned Dr. Price, who could help out until EMS arrived. The audience member was responsive and talking before the fire department even got there, and he has since recovered fully.

Amidst the chaos of moving a few hundred people to another location and back, the show eventually continued. Dr. Ferguson seamlessly picked up her talk and finished her remarks. 

Tre. Charles performing.

She was followed by a wonderful alternative and indie soul artist, Tre. Charles, whose music struck the audience at a profound level. There was something very expressive and inviting about his music, and he was one of my favorites of the whole night.

The next talk was the one I was the most excited for. It was given by Javier González-Maeso, and he talked about how scientists, including himself, were using psychedelics to treat depression. It is a field of study that is still relatively new and has to be carefully monitored, but, in some cases, it can be extremely helpful for people suffering from things like depression. I would have never expected that scientists would be able to be able to use something like psychedelic drugs to help make lasting, beneficial changes to people.

After yet another wonderful performance from Golden, we heard from VCU Senior Ellie Bavuso on how she is using virtual reality to help neurodivergent people interact with the world around them. Bavuso gave some key insight into what it was like to be a neurodivergent person living in a society that was not built for them and helped bring to light her vision of a world where people like herself were taken into consideration. She shared how she was helping to reach this goal, and it was a great and necessary talk that everyone should hear.

The night was wrapped up with an absolutely amazing performance of an unreleased song by Tre. Charles, and then the team and I were on stage to take a bow. Everything that we had worked so hard to put on for the last three months had flown by in a quick, action-packed, and entertaining three hours. 

Working to put on this event was a wonderful experience. It was extremely rewarding to see the speakers so excited to give a TED Talk, something that is a rare opportunity for most people. It was also delightful to see people fill the auditorium interested to see what we had managed to curate as a group of students.

All photos by Dave Parish.