Watch the 2021 TEDxTalks

How diet can combat the climate crisis

The climate crisis is approaching us very quickly. To combat this global problem, greenhouse gas emissions must be decreased. In his 2021 TEDxHopeCollege talk, Jacob VanderRoest addresses this issue and explains a potent strategy for decreasing greenhouse gas emissions. Fortunately, his solution can be implemented every few hours of every single day! Student This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community

From Plan A to Z: Living beyond Loeys-Dietz

After graduating from high school and starting her freshman year of college, speaker Claire Moore's life took an unexpected turn. She received a rare and incurable diagnosis. In this speech, she offers 3 invaluable lessons about living beyond challenging circumstances. Student This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community.

Transracial adoptee voices of love and trauma

Mikayla Zobeck, from East Lansing, MI is a transracial adoptee who struggled to understand her trauma responses to her adoption until she reunited with her birth family in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam after 18 years of being disconnected after her adoption. Her incredible journey to meeting her birth mother again shapes her narrative and understanding. Zobeck talks about adoptee mental health, reshaping the narrative of adoption, and amplifying adoptee voices in order to half a more nuanced and vibrant understanding about adoption. Student This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community.

Urban Planning: A tool in our equity toolbox

Since the dawn of modern cities, urban planning has been necessary to keep us healthy and safe. Throughout the 20th century, bad urban planning and infrastructure has created racial and economic divides across the US. Urban planners can use many tools to bridge these divides and create equity in these communities, including freeway removal projects and public transit infrastructure. While our fight against racial and economic injustice needs to be aggressively multifaceted, infrastructure is a great and easy place to start. Student This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community.

How biases in healthcare can be deadly

When considering that most Americans visit a doctor at least once a year, it is imperative to pull back the curtain on some of the biases that exist in healthcare. In this talk, Safia Hattab, an African-American, disabled woman, unpacks just how prevalent these biases are in the medical field, and how they can uphold healthcare disparities, becoming a symptom to a larger problem. Student This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community.

How to live through music

The wonderful world of music can be complex and cryptic at times, however, it offers universal wisdom that can heal, empower, and keep us in the present moment. Being a musician is one way to tap into this wisdom, but it isn't the only way; Musician Michael J. Pineda explores some life lessons he learned in three fundamental elements - rhythm, harmony, and melody - in order to draw connections for the non-musician and inspire us to keep pushing the boundaries of our relationships with music.

*Michael begins this speech with an excerpt of El Himno Nacional de la República de Honduras as a tribute and honor to his home country, Honduras. Student This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community.

Redefining masculinity: addressing hegemonic masculine behaviors

Redefining masculinity in today's day and age comes in the form of normalizing when men experience emotion. Based his own experiences growing up, Garrett Borgman explores the societal expectations for men to be emotionally stoic have become detrimental to their overall well-being. By allowing men to express themselves, they can work through repressed feelings and will become more accountable for their actions. Hegemonic masculinity is a multi-faceted issue and this is one of many ways to work toward a better future. Student This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community.

Why searching for religion can help with your mental health

Religion and mental health are two entirely separate and unrelated topics, right? Not so, says some of the scientific research. In this talk Fr. Nicholas Monco explains the connection between personal traumas, painful questions, and religious practice based on his own experience helping young people. He then lays a few simple steps to begin exploring how pursuing religion seriously can help your own mental health. Community Member This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community.

Why you need a black friend: shifting the way we socialize

The year of 2020 was not just marked by the pandemic but it was truly a year of racial reckoning. As our nation and globe grows more diverse every second, so does our need for more diverse ideals of thought. In this talk, Taylor Calloway tackles the ever present question “How do I start becoming more aware of diversity around me?” with one simple answer: make new friends. Student This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community.

How the advancement of technology is affecting community

Face-to-face community has been at the heart of human connection for the entirety of history. However, due to the advancement of technology that enables isolation, this has declined. Chris Stamatopoulos shares his own perspective to discuss how this decline might affect future generations, and whether there is still potential to pursue a change on a large scale. Student This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community.