Hi everyone, my name is Inulua Shivik, but most people call me Ini. My talk today is about education as a tool for change. In 2024, I spent more time in Stormman than I ever did in a classroom.That's something no young person should ever have to say, but that was my reality. After receiving over a 100 rejection emails, I thought to myself, I may never achieve the goal of ever going to school. But I never backed down.Every message sounded the same. Sorry, we don't have a place for you. Unfortunately, there's ...

When you think of your social media feed, what do you see. If you asked me this question a month ago, I would see flashy, controversial captions with the comments echoing hatred, outrage, cancel culture, anything but positivity. Some of the people in this room are strangers, but I also see my peers and my teachers.If I had to be up here talking any sooner, I would be too self-conscious and just imagine what everyone here is thinking of me. Because that's what social media does. It can really change our outl ...

When I was a little girl, people used to tell me I could be anything. An astronaut, a pop star, maybe even the next Steve Jobs. But somewhere in between, you can be anything and you can be anything except something changes.We go from being celebrated for our confidence to being cautioned for it. The same boldness, curiosity, and ambition that were once praised at age 8 somehow become too much by the time we're 18. The world celebrates girls until we grow up.When we're younger, we're told to speak up and dre ...

I'd always assumed that if you worked hard and planned carefully, everything would work out. And up until a few years ago, it had. I had the perfect childhood.I grew up in an upper middle class household in a loving family. After high school, I joined Northeastern University where I studied finance. At Nor Eastern, I found I thrived in a highly structured environment where my efforts led to direct outcomes.Upon graduation in 2016, I landed my dream job in investment banking and two years later, I joined a p ...

Has anyone had a doctor's appointment lately or received confusing paperwork about a recent medical visit from their health insurance company. Not long ago, my four-year-old got hurt at school. He cut his head which required stitches, so I had to take him to the ER.As a mom, I was frightened. But as a healthc care researcher, I dreaded what complicated paperwork we'd have to complete and how long we'd have to wait before my son could be treated. Despite my expertise, I am still easily confused by our health ...

Please welcome to the stage. It's Ellen Taylor. Picture this.It's 1923 and you are a housewife living on a quiet farm in the Delmava Peninsula in the United States. The morning is unremarkable until a delivery arrives at your door. When you are handed a cardboard box, you expect to find the 50 chicks that you had ordered.instead inside of 500 tiny cheaping lights. This is 10 times more than you had planned for. This was the unexpected reality faced by a woman named Cecile Steel.Confronted with the choice, s ...

Put your hands together for our next speaker, a wonderful speaker. Her name is Charlotte Flynn. It's always nice to have friends.They can make you feel special, feel wanted. These people are having a good impact on you by making you feel better, making your day just that bit better. But there are also people who can do the opposite of that.They could belittle you, pick on your weaknesses, bully you. These people having a negative impact on you. Some examples of people who can have a good impact are friends ...

Please give a huge warm welcome to the very funny Bertie Glaster. I love my pies, but I couldn't believe it when it was6 at Wigan. Back in 2015, my dad used to take me to Carlo games.It was cheap. Tickets didn't cost much and pies were just two pound. Good times, I guess.Proper football, proper prices. Last Tuesday, I went to watch Wigan. I went to get a pie before the game.Six pound. I honestly thought it must come with chips, a drink, and maybe a gold medal as well. It even had a stupid fancy swirl on top ...

One day I was in class with my professor Israel. A comment he made during class was, "What experiences have affected you negatively?" Then he asked is it re was really a bad experience or is it just the perspective from which you are seeing it. That made me think what if the moments in your life that hurt you most were all along preparation.When I was 8 years old my life split in two. At the same time that my parents were divorcing. I was leaving my home and my best friends with it.This was the first time I ...

Uh I would like to begin with this photograph. It's not just a beautiful pattern. It is uh it is the handprint of a tribal woman smearing cowing on the floor.A gesture repeated for generations. The handprint will slowly fade with time, but it represents something deeply human. It says, "I made this." It says, "This place belongs to me." And perhaps most importantly, it says I care.My name is Venita Kuragia and I'm a part of a collaborative architectural practice that specializes in natural buildings, social ...