I’m honored to give my third TEDx talk February 29th at TEDxConnecticutCollege. The theme is “Beyond the Disarray.”

I will speak about formative experiences that led me to develop confidence and direction amid the confusion, disarray, and inaction plaguing so many from acting decisively about what they care about most.

Email me for tickets if you’d like to attend or buy them here. The event logistics:

Saturday, February 29, 2020

11:00am to 5:00pm

Cummings Art Center, Connecticut College

270 Mohegan Avenue, New London, CT

The location

Connecticut College has a stunningly beautiful campus.

From Wikipedia:

Connecticut College (Conn College or Conn) is a private liberal arts college located in New London, Connecticut. It is a residential, four-year undergraduate institution with nearly all of its approximately 1,815 students living on campus. The college was founded in 1911 as “Connecticut College for Women” in response to Wesleyan University closing its doors to women in 1909; it shortened its name to “Connecticut College” in 1969 when it began admitting men.

Students choose courses from 41 majors, including an interdisciplinary, self-designed major. U.S. News & World Report ranked the school tied for 46th among the top liberal arts colleges in 2020. The college is a member of the New England Small College Athletic Conference.

The speakers

Ali Plucinski

Student & Russian Specialist

Her name is Aleksandra Plucinski but most just call her Ali Plu. Ali is a senior from Cape Cod, Massachusetts. She is a government major and a Slavic studies minor as well as a CISLA scholar. On campus, she works in the Admission office and the athletic center. Next year, Ali plans to enroll in the Middlebury Institute of International Studies to get a Master’s Degree in Nonproliferation and Terrorism Studies with a concentration in Russian.

Chris George

Executive Director of IRIS, Integrated Refugee & Immigrant Services

Since 2005, Chris George has been the Executive Director of IRIS, Integrated Refugee & Immigrant Services, Connecticut’s largest refugee resettlement agency. Based in New Haven and working with community groups all over the state, IRIS has welcomed more than 1,500 refugees since 2016. Prior to 2005, Chris spent 25 years living in, or working on, the Middle East; including 12 years in Palestine. Chris began his international career as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Muscat, Oman.

Derek Turner

Professor of Philosophy & Associate Director of the Goodwin-Niering Center for the Environment

Derek D. Turner is Professor of Philosophy at Connecticut College, where he also serves as Associate Director of the Goodwin-Niering Center for the Environment. He is the author of three books: Making Prehistory: Historical Science and the Scientific Realism Debate (2007), Paleontology: A Philosophical Introduction (2011), and Paleoaesthetics and the Practice of Paleontology (2019). He teaches a variety of courses in philosophy of science, environmental philosophy, and logic.

Emir Kulluk

Student

Emir Kulluk is an international student from Istanbul, Turkey. He is a junior at Connecticut College. He has a double major in Film and Philosophy and a CISLA Scholar. Throughout his time at Connecticut College, Emir has been trying to learn how the individual functions in society and how this is expressed through different mediums such as academic articles, poetry, creative writing and cinema.

Guillermo Rincon

Student

Guillermo Rincon is a senior-student athlete from Caceres, Spain, majoring in International Relations at Connecticut College. He is deeply passionate about personal growth, coaching, and the human psyche. According to Tony Robbins, all of us have 6 essential needs and every single decision we make in our lives fulfills at least one of these needs. He invites you to come and find out what these are and your top two needs that are guiding your life.

Joshua Spodek

Author, Podcast Host, and Professor

Joshua is a bestselling author of Initiative and Leadership Step by Step, host of the award-winning Leadership and the Environment podcast, and NYU leadership professor. He holds an MBA, an astrophysics PhD, and studied under a Nobel Laureate. He visited North Korea twice, swam across the Hudson River, has done burpees daily since 2011 (145,000 and counting), takes 16 months to produce one load of garbage, and hasn’t flown (by choice) since March 2016.

Maria Miranda

Creative Director and Founder of Miranda Creative

Maria Miranda is the creative director and founder of Miranda Creative, an award-winning brand management firm celebrating over 30 years. She and her colleagues provide unbiased media advice and creative ideas for a variety of clients across industries and business models. Maria, a graduate of UCONN, has been an adjunct faculty member at many regional colleges… as well as a volunteer presenter for SCORE, local chambers and other organizations in support of small businesses.

Mónika López-Anuarbe

Professor of Economics

Mónika López-Anuarbe is an Associate Professor of Economics at Connecticut College and an inequality health economist specializing in the economics of aging and caregiving, health disparities, vulnerable populations, intergenerational transfers, strategic behavior and game theory.

Moustafa Sabra

Student

Moustafa Sabra is an ambitious, curious, determined engineering student at Connecticut College perusing a degree in Physics and Computer Science with a great personal interest in mechanical engineering, mechatronics, and entrepreneurship. With a unique experience in multiple fields of science, he never misses an opportunity to create and innovate. He is currently seeking new ways to innovate, create and bring change to the world.

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Thank you to the organizers, especially Maja.

I hope to see you there!

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