The Sixth Annual TedXMarshallU

Featuring more student speakers than ever before, Marshall University will host its sixth annual TEDxMarshallU event on Tuesday, Feb. 27, at the Joan C. Edwards Performing Arts Center from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Four students alongside five other speakers from around the world will deliver talks focused on this year’s theme, “Connecting Threads.”

Each talk will explore how and why different forces bind people together. Through these talks, TEDxMarshallU hopes attendees will gain a deeper understanding of themselves and others in ways that promote future meaningful connections. The event credits inspiration for its theme to the University’s Higher Learning Commission Quality Initiative theme for the 2023-2024 school year: “Building Bridges.”

Since its inception, TEDxMarshallU has been a student-led event with faculty and staff mentoring the student organizers. This year’s organizing team comprises six Honors College students enrolled in an Honors internship course taught by Dr. Brian Kinghorn, lead organizer and licensee for the event.

The students will present alongside campus leaders like Dr. Candace Layne, the director of the Marshall University Counseling center, and local celebrities like Appalachian storyteller Adam Booth.

This year’s speakers include the following:

• Sierra Lutz, a third-year Yeager Scholar majoring in biochemistry and minoring in theatre who has starred in multiple Marshall productions.
• Jessica “Jess” Tall, a fourth-year medical student at the Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine where she is a part of the multicultural advisory committee; additionally, she serves with the Fairfield U. Mentor Program.
• Evan Green, a third-year Yeager Scholar double majoring in journalism and psychology as well as the executive editor for The Parthenon and member of the Brad D. Smith Student Incubator.
• Luke Jeffrey, a third-year Yeager Scholar majoring in accounting who also serves as an innovation intern for Marshall’s iCenter and the social media manager for The Parthenon.
• Dr. Sydnee McElroy, a family medicine physician, assistant professor at the Marshall University  Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine and podcast host of Sawbones and Still Buffering.
• Adam Booth, the 2022 West Virginia Folk Artist of the Year (awarded at the Governor’s Arts Awards), who blends traditional mountain folklore, music, and an awareness of contemporary Appalachia to create original, forward-thinking story artistry.
• Dr. Candace Layne, the director of the Marshall University Counseling Center and a daughter of Marshall who also owns Imagine Counseling Services.
• Clare Tuffy, former manager of the Brú na Bóinne Visitor Centre that serves as the starting point for visits to the World Heritage Properties of Newgrange and Knowth in Ireland.
• Dr. Ed Kinghorn, former chairman of the department of psychology at Brigham Young University-Hawaii, who recently served as a volunteer area mental health advisor in Central America for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

Tickets will be $20 for general admission and $5 for current Marshall University or K-12 students. Children under 8 years old will not be permitted at the event. Visit www.tedxmarshallu.com to learn more about the event and purchase tickets.