On Tuesday, Nov. 18, students packed the upper room of Trinity Irish Pub: not for the usual night of shenanigans, but to attend this year’s TEDxUVA Student Speaker Competition.
TED is a nonprofit organization created in 1984 which hosts events featuring short presentations on Technology, Entertainment and Design. In the recent years, however, the popularity of TED talks has skyrocketed, and now the short lectures cover almost any topic which aligns with TED’s motto: “Ideas worth spreading.”
This year, 10 student speakers — competing for a spot in the local event — gave inspiring, educational and eloquent speeches which engaged audiences. Following the theme “Make the Path,” talks focused on battling prejudices and encouraging the audience to consider alternative perspectives.
Third-year College student Andrew Burrill, first-year College student Attiya Latif and fourth-year College student John Stegner will speak at the official TEDxUVA event on Feb. 22.
Burrill gave an emotional and personal account of the hardships he faced in his teens. After hitting a self-described rock bottom, Burrill was led — via joyful memories of singing with his family — to the arts. Burrill noticed the stigma attached to this choice — upon hearing he was involved in the arts, people would roll their eyes, claiming he would only ever work in a coffee shop.
Burrill proved these cynics wrong, he said, when he appeared on an episode of the TV hit “Modern Family” and performed at the 2012 MTV Video Music Awards. Burrill encouraged people to remain open to the arts, explaining that it is a profession which requires training and skill like any other field.
Latif, meanwhile, countered the stereotype that her Islamic headscarf, or hijab, was oppressive. Latif argues that though the Western perception of feminism considers the hijab confining, she wears it by choice.
“My scarf empowers me to be a feminist,” she said.
She encouraged the audience to reconsider their past assumptions about Islam and re-evaluate which perspectives may be Western-centric.
Stegner, a member of the all-male sexual assault prevention advocacy group One in Four, presented a talk on sexual assault.
“Most men are anti-rape and anti-violence, but they just don’t have the tools to effect change,” he said.
Stegner emphasized the need to improve the current system of evaluating sexual assault. He encouraged acting with an attitude of empathy and compassion — especially toward victims. Only by rejecting the modern assumptions about sexual assault can we begin better our society and make real, positive change, he said.
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