Faculty, staff, students and alumni make up the diverse group of speakers for this year's TEDxDePaulUniversity. Their talks and performances will explore the theme "Reimagine." (Illustration by Jeff Carrion)
The diverse group of faculty, staff, students and alumni who are this year's TEDxDePaulUniversity speakers will shed new light on powerful topics - from forgiveness in the wake of an attack to rethinking the way you listen to music - and challenge traditional ideas of leadership, business, self-care and how we communicate.
Each year, talk topics like these resonate with audience members and compel them to return. In 2016 and 2017, 100 percent of TEDxDePaulUniversity attendees said they would attend another TEDx event at DePaul.
Don't want to miss what this year's speakers have to say? Registration for TEDx 2018 is now open. Tickets are $5 and can be purchased by visiting the
TEDxDePaulUniversity website.
Now in its third year, the excitement surrounding TEDxDePaulUniversity continues to grow with a record-breaking 114 speaker applications submitted for this year's event -- a 46 percent increase from 2017. After careful consideration and deliberation, the TEDxDePaulUniversity selection committee chose 11 speakers who will give nine talks or performances centered on the theme "Reimagine."
This year, each speaker's talk or performance is rooted in their areas of research or personal interests and promises to provoke stimulating conversation within the DePaul community.
The 2018 TEDxDePaulUniversity speakers are:
Driehaus College of Business doctoral students Karen Bartuch, Brandon Hendrix and Tammy Higgins
Visiting multicultural faculty member at The Theatre School and yoga teacher Laura Biagi
Accomplished flutist and 2011 School of Music alumnus James Brinkmann
Activist and 2010 College of Communication alumna Karli Butler
MBA student and South Side community advocate Kevin Felisme
Clinical psychologist and 2013 College of Science and Health alumna Adia Gooden
Vincentian priest and religious studies adjunct faculty member the Rev. Christopher Robinson, C.M.
Aspiring visual storyteller and critical ethnic studies graduate student Whitney Spencer
Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, Guillermo Vasquez de Velasco
The master of ceremonies for the event will be TEDx 2017 alumna and current student Rachel Pride.
TEDxDePaulUniversity 2018 will be held May 1 from 1-5 p.m. at the Lincoln Park Student Center, 2250 N. Sheffield Ave., room 120 A & B. To read more about the speakers, RSVP and learn about the event, visit
TEDxDePaulUniversity.com.
About TEDx, x = independently organized event
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.