Rooted in the TED Conference, which had been traditionally hosted in Monterey starting in the 1990s, TEDx (the local version of TED Talks) touched down at Cal State Monterey Bay (CSUMB). This year 12 students and staff speakers spoke around the theme, Waves.
Coordinating TEDx at CSUMB for the past three years, Senior Coordinator of Student Organizations Dan Burfeind wanted this year’s theme to be specific to the local community, but ambiguous enough for speakers to put their own spin on it.
“This year, there are individuals that talk about waves in their lives, how they’ve made waves, how they’ve dealt with waves of or cycles in their lives around depression or chronic illness,” said Burfeind. “I think that really spoke to a lot of people this year, and that’s always my hope, is that those themes don’t put people in a box.”
Fourth-year cinematic arts and technology major Eunice-Rose Casa used Burfeind’s theme as grounds to set the stage for her emotionally vulnerable Ted Talk “Rising Through Waves.” Sharing her journey overcoming nephrotic syndrome, a kidney disorder that caused Casa to abandon her passion, competitive dance. Mourning the loss of her life before her diagnosis, Casa said, “Healing is in waves.”
Following her Ted Talk, Casa said, “I’m glad it resonated with a lot of people. One of the speakers, he actually came up to me and was like, ‘I understand how you feel cause I also have chronic pain, so I’m glad that you told that story.’”
Another major theme weaving itself into many of the speeches was addiction and harm reduction. Student speaker Rachel Jones, opened the event with her piece “Becoming a Mermaid: Interpreting the Waves,” where she opens up about her journey through addiction and sobriety. Spreading the catchy ideology, “Resist the habitual ritual!”
Jones wrapped up her speech by tying her story back to the event’s theme, proclaiming, “I am waves, I create waves, and truly all is waves.” Reclaiming her power from her addiction by understanding that while she is impacted by the world around her she has the power to choose how she responds. Posing the question to the audience, “How do you respond to waves?”
Makena Volzing, a CSUMB graduate and now a counselor for students struggling with substance abuse, hit the crowd hard with her speech “A Hit of Joy: Rethinking Harm Reduction with Youth.” Giving first a personal anecdote about her battle with addiction and how a student counselor had opened her eyes to her habits and helped her develop healthier patterns. This inspired her to do the same in her adult life, representing the ripple effect in Volzing’s life.
Volzing left the crowd with the message, “Don’t ask what’s wrong, ask what’s missing.” Creating a call to action, encouraging the crowd to reconnect with passions outside of addiction, saying, “Shift the tides and reconnect them to joy.”
Isaiah Perez, a fourth-year social and behavioral science major, was initially drawn to the event to support his friend who was a speaker this year. By the end of the event, however, Perez walked away feeling moved and motivated, especially by speaker Gauri Chabukswar who spoke about her experiences as an international student.
“Really, it’s a lot of bravery,” Perez said. “I think, to come out in front and talk with so many people with all the cameras and lights. I think it takes a lot of courage and I really respect that from them.”