TEDxGrinnell Returns

Turley, executive chef and chief culinary officer at Grinnell College. The full list of speakers can be found on the TEDxGrinnellCollege website.

TEDx is the independently organized companion of TED — the prominent nonprofit organization that gives speakers a platform to share “Ideas worth spreading.” TEDxGrinnellCollege speakers will follow the traditional TED presentation format, and video recordings will be posted on the official TED website after the event.

The independent nature of TEDx allowed the Grinnell TEDx committee, made up of both faculty and students, to select a theme that is timely and relevant to the College. “The ‘Food for Thought’ theme comes from the concept of nurturing your own experiences by implementing the speakers’ ideas and advice into your own life,” said Raj Jhanwar `25, a member of the TEDxGrinnellCollege media and publicity subcommittee.

Jhanwar said he encourages attendees to recognize the abundant opportunities the program affords. “TEDx can be an event where people come together to get new thoughts, improve themselves and learn from alumni and community leaders,” he said.

Due to COVID-19, the last chapter of the TEDxGrinnellCollege series took place virtually in Feb. 2021, and the most recent in-person version was in 2018. The extended time between in-person events and the complete turnover of student organizers have made it challenging to replicate the details of past events. However, Dayana Garcia `26 said that the situation has prompted new ideas and innovations that should elevate the program moving forward.

“I was really excited because we had a fresh slate. There wasn’t a strong expectation of what the event had to be like,” said Garcia. When she began her positions as student media specialist for the Wilson Center and chair of the TEDxGrinnellCollege media and publicity subcommittee in December, Garcia said the unique opportunity drove her to reimagine the orchestration of the program.

“A lot of students haven’t had the opportunity to experience the event before, so I think there is a lot of anticipation for it.” Garcia said that the student committee has been anxiously awaiting this year’s final product.

Ogunmesa

Nifemi Ogunmesa `25, student event coordinator for the Wilson Center, said she hopes that the event prompts people to reevaluate the ways in which they interact with