TEDxBerkeley – You Are Here
Written by Timothy Berggren.
In case you haven’t heard, TED is coming to Berkeley once again!
TED talks are those short 20ish minute talks that teach you about something cool, new or unique. In fact, TED talks were started in 1984 as a convergence of technology, entertainment, and design. It’s similar to the new BerkeleyHaas MET students if they were also stand-up comedians. I would be happy to watch one of them give a TED talk some years down the line!
TEDxBerkeley was started 9 years ago and has stayed true to its original mission of bringing new ideas to the Berkeley community. Berkeley is known for being intellectually bold, passionate, and unafraid to question, along with, challenging and redefining the status quo. Staying true to Berkeley nature, this year’s theme is ‘You Are Here’ and focuses on unconventional perspectives and untold stories. In short, the TEDxBerkeley 2018 will build a map beyond the two dimensions we know, by considering a set of new axes via technology, science, culture, and social advancement.
This year you can expect speakers that range from Doniece Sandoval, founder of Lava Mae, a nonprofit that provides mobile showers for homeless, to David Lang, co-founder of OpenROV, an underwater drone company that’s exploring the ocean depths. There will also be performances from Cal Ballroom, Cal Taiko, and Hazel Miller, who was quoted as “a force of nature” by Rocky Mountain News. You can expect this year’s speakers to be especially engaging as they guide you through a new cognitive map with the goal of improving your perspective.
So how does this relate to Haas? Why am I giving TEDxBerkeley a spotlight?
Krupa Adusumilli, a fellow Haas undergraduate, deserves the true spotlight for the hours of work she has put into this year’s event. As Director of Finance and Corporate Sponsorships, she had to make some tough financial decisions but says that her Haas education helped put things into perspective. Krupa also helped select some of this year’s speakers and said that her decisions were based on a passion she developed from the Haas course ‘UGBA 192T – The Business Case for Investing in Women’ taught by Kellie McElhaney. TEDxBerkeley’s speaker panel is usually 50% men and 50% women to ensure a mixed gender representation and talks related to gender equality.
Haas Undergrads are constantly going beyond themselves, and this is just one example of that.
