TEDxMarshallU

Marshall University will host its 4^th annual TEDxMarshallU event organized by students, faculty, and staff from 5 to 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 26, in the Don Morris Room of the Memorial Student Center. COVID-19 vaccinations are strongly encouraged and wearing masks will be required of all individuals who attend the event. With COVID-19 restrictions limiting the number of in-person attendees, the event will also be livestreamed.

The theme for this year’s TEDxMarshallU is “Stories That Change Us,” which embodies the power of stories to impact our collective and individual identities and realities. Stories not only have inherent power and significance in their backgrounds and meanings, but also in how and why they are told. The event will highlight ideas related to the significance of stories as change agents.

Speakers include the following:

• Dan Hollis, an award-winning Marshall University professor and journalist. He will discuss the importance of seeing the stories in our individual and personal lives and propose that the ability to see the story is an overarching attribute of successful people
• David Trowbridge, Ph.D., a research professor of digital and public humanities at the University of Missouri-Kansas City and former Marshall University history professor. He will talk about his experiences with and the impacts of creating and developing Clio, a website and mobile application that connects people to nearby history and culture.
• Jessica Kern Huff, a coach, motivational speaker, and philanthropist, will speak of finding personal and work balance in workplace chaos, something that she experienced as a collegiate basketball coach, and reinventing herself after she stepped away from full time coaching to focus on other life goals.
• The McElroy Brothers, Justin, Travis, and Griffin, popular podcasters and authors, prerecorded an interview with TEDxMarshallU to discuss the importance of their storytelling as Appalachians with a world-wide influence and the opportunities they have to inspire the next generation of creative minds.
• Isaac “Shelem” Fadiga, engineer, up-and-coming hip-hop artist and Marshall alum, will discuss how he applies similar creative processes to solve engineering problems and to write his music. As part of his talk, he will break down the lyrics of and rap/sing lines of his popular song Suga Wata.
• Courtney Andrews will discuss how her work behind the scenes at ESPN has opened a world of possibilities for her in her career trajectory and how her work helps young athletes see others like them who can inspire them to be better and dream big.
• Danny McGinnist Jr. will talk to us about how he communicates and connects with others through his painting as we watch him paint
• Brooke Watts, an award-winning triple-threat performing artist best known for dance skills, and current Marshall University student. She will perform an original dance number titled “The Light that Never Fails.”
• Aryana Misaghi, current Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine student and our student contest winner, will talk about how her experiences knocking on doors for her faith taught her powerful lessons about herself and others.

Tickets will be $15 for in-person general admission and $5 for current Marshall University students in person. A link to the livestream is free but requires registration. Visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/tedxmarshallu-2022-stories-that-change-us-tickets-260528867857 to purchase in-person tickets or register the livestream link.

“I’m thrilled with the diversity of individuals and ideas that will be represented on our TEDxMarshallU stage this year,” said Dr. Brian Kinghorn, associate professor in Marshall’s College of Education and Professional Development who is licensee and lead organizer of the event. “Our team is thrilled that we can finally open attendance to the public for this year’s event and look forward to seeing members of the Marshall University and Huntington communities join us live. We all have stories that define our lives, and we hope the stories and ideas shared on our stage will change the lives of our audience in beneficial and long-lasting ways.”

“I’m so excited to share our event with Marshall and the larger Huntington community this year,” said Ralph May, TEDxMarshallU’s co-organizer and a recent Marshall alum. “I feel what we have built alongside our speakers will really resonate with the community. We want to show them the power stories have on our lives and allow them to empower themselves to reflect and impact their own stories.”

Additional information about the event can be found at www.tedxmarshallu.com. The event is also on Twitter (https://twitter.com/tedxmarshallu), Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/tedxmarshallu/), and Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/TEDxMarshallU)