From Connection to Change: Highlights from TEDxKU Edwards

More than 175 people gathered for the second TEDxKU Edwards to hear “ideas worth spreading.” Through a free license from TED, the TEDx program empowers communities and organizations to independently produce TED-style events at the local level. A team of KU Edwards faculty and staff curated the event’s lineup, bringing together speakers with diverse perspectives and a wide range of compelling topics. The result was an evening designed to spark curiosity, inspire new ways of thinking and bring the community together through the power of ideas.

Speakers used their personal experiences to shape talks on a wide range of topics, from emotional to insightful, to entertaining.

Justin Pickens, a teacher and coach, shared how small, consistent actions can make a big difference. People are “redirected by ordinary moments, from ordinary people, who decided to do something extraordinary with them.”

Pickens grew up with a drug addicted father, an unstable home, in and out of foster care. If not for a coach who noticed and encouraged him, a bus driver who had a kind word for him every day from kindergarten to high school, and a math teacher who believed in him, he thinks he could have ended up another kind of statistic.

Pickens went on to college and became, as he says, “a cycle-breaking, future-building teacher” himself.

Charlotte Aldrich highlighted the role relationships play in communication. She believes people are often evaluating whether they feel safe, valued and understood before they truly listen to what is being said.

Aldrich encouraged attendees to create environments where others feel comfortable speaking honestly and openly. By balancing compassion, courage, safety and authenticity, she said stronger connections and more meaningful conversations can happen anywhere, from workplaces to personal relationships.

Drawing on a seemingly random item she inherited, Sara Taliaferro shared a powerful message about how we can have a voice in the systems that shape our democracy. She encouraged us to seek out conversations with those who think differently than us and engage in productive, collaborative solutions to challenges that our communities face.

Dr. Alex Williams, director of the Psychological Clinic at the KU Edwards Campus, shared a practical approach to better communication. He encouraged the audience to consider three questions when seeking to understand another person: What do they want? What is at stake for them? And what do they believe about the world?

A current student at KU, Grace Cho, took the audience inside the psychology of gambling, beginning with her own experience playing "gacha" video games as a teenager. She explained how the brain’s reward system, combined with psychological effects such as near misses and unpredictable rewards, can make gambling difficult to resist. She encouraged people to better understand the forces that influence their decisions and to approach gambling with awareness and moderation.

Twila Latini shared her perspective that children born with profound hearing loss are being failed by the medical and educational systems, suggesting we shift the entire framework away from a child’s physical hearing ability to their language access. Her message to parents was, “You want your child to communicate. You want to know their thoughts, fears, and their dreams. Accept and embrace the fullest potentials of your child’s mind–whether that means sign language, spoken language, or both.”

The evening closed on a light note when magician, and cybersecurity professional, Scott Henderson, used magic tricks to underscore the importance of human connection and how being present and open to connecting has brought opportunities his way. His words of advice were, “Be worth remembering. Give them more than they expect. And be open to people and unexpected possibilities.”

As the audience filed out of Regnier Auditorium, the conversations continued. The speakers had offered different perspectives and experiences, but a common thread connected them all: meaningful change often begins with understanding, connection and the willingness to see things differently. In bringing together these "ideas worth spreading," TEDxKU Edwards once again demonstrated the power of local voices to inspire thought, spark dialogue and strengthen community.