The 2022 TEDxAustinCollege conference will be presented Saturday, October 1, from 9 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. in Ida Green Communication Center’s Sally and Jim Nation Theatre and Learning Commons. Tickets to the event are free, though registration is required. Registration remains available at www.austincollege.edu/TEDx. Doors open at 8:30 a.m. for check-in and Discovery Depot activities.
A TEDx event features a series of short (up to 18 minutes) talks. TedxAustinCollege, an independently organized event, licensed by TED, features six members of the Austin College community—students, alumni, faculty, and a current parent. The conference will include TED videos and six talks, all within the 2022 theme of “Amplify.”
“We hear so many messages through so many channels, all demanding our attention,” the Austin College student coordinators wrote of the year’s theme. “Amid all these sounds is a stream of voices seeking justice, searching for truth, and asking important questions. How do we focus on the ideas worth hearing?”
“TEDxAustinCollege 2022 aims to amplify these voices in our community,” the organizers wrote. “By focusing on our panel of six speakers, we take their thoughts from silent ideas to powerful discussions to be heard by all. This conference will empower us to speak up for ourselves and for others—we will all be amplified together so that our voices cannot be ignored.”
Austin College President Steven P. O’Day will make opening remarks at the event. Kirk Everist, associate professor of theatre, will serve as master of ceremonies throughout the morning.
With COVID restrictions lessened, the team is pleased to bring back the “Discovery Depot,” an interactive experience to allow attendees to engage in the ideas presented in the talks at a series of booths hosted by student organizations. Organizations involved include THINK environmental awareness group, Aussies & Kangacrew dance groups, CHAMPS organization that supports individuals with disabilities, Alpha Phi Omega national service fraternity and Sigma Phi Chi local sorority, Suspension Literary Magazine, the French Club, the AC Film Club, and Posey Leadership Institute.
Check-in begins at 8:30 a.m., with the Discovery Depot available; Session One will run from 9 to 10:20 a.m. when the Discovery Depot again opens; Session Two runs from 11 a.m. to 12:15 a.m., when Discovery Depot again is available. The program ends at 12:45 p.m.
Speakers for the 2022 TEDxAustinCollege and their talk titles and summaries follow:
JENNIFER ESTES | Sherman, Texas
The Three C’s: Fanning the Flame of Creativity
Is it possible to turn ordinary ideas into revolutionary strategies? Do we each have what it takes to attempt the unexpected? Jennifer Estes says, without a doubt, yes. In her career in healthcare marketing, Jennifer is in constant communication with creatives, artists, and designers. She believes that creativity does not end with the naturally and artistically talented. Rather, it is within all of us. It only takes finding the courage to start, sticking to your commitment, and making connections to tap into your creativity, even in the most unconventional ways. It’s time to find your spark!
Jennifer is not an Austin College Kangaroo, but her husband and children are! She makes her home in Sherman, Texas, with her husband Todd ’90, their son Nick ’24, and cat Bentley (and daughter Emily ’20 attends medical school). She serves as regional director of marketing and public relations for Baylor Scott & White Health, the largest not-for-profit healthcare system in Texas. She holds a master’s degree in marketing from Texas A&M Commerce and a bachelor’s degree in political science from The University of Texas at Austin. Jennifer is actively involved in her church and loves leading the outreach ministry and teaching Sunday School. She also enjoys reading biographies, traveling, and musical theater
CAITLIN GRAVES ’13, Ed.D. | Granbury, Texas
Keep the Cape: Invisible Disabilities Are Not Superpowers
Like many others, Caitlin Graves’s childhood was full of dreams of being a superhero. And though that dream never came true, she has found that large parts of herself are invisible—just not in the way she’d always hoped. As a gay, neurodivergent, disabled woman, she is no stranger to combatting erasure, particularly when it comes to her disability. Addressing the gap in diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts, Caitlin asks that we all take steps towards radically recognizing disability. Don’t find inspiration in making disabled people your superheroes; find it in the heroic effort it will take to close the visibility gap.
Graves grew up in Granbury, Texas, and graduated in 2013 from Austin College, where she majored in English and American studies. She received her master’s degree from Kent State University and her doctorate from Abilene Christian University. In her professional life, Graves works in Organizational Development and Educational Innovation. Additionally, she researches Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion topics within the educational sphere, specifically focusing on belonging and inclusion for marginalized groups. She recently moved to Washington, D.C. with her wife and their two cats.
FELIX HARCOURT | Austin College Faculty
How to Talk About Hate Groups
As a historian, Felix Harcourt finds important work in contextualizing our modern world with the past. In today’s America, Harcourt often grapples with the apparent rise in popularity of racist ideologies, the increasing visibility granted to hate groups, and the historical context of this trend. He finds one piece of this puzzle in the media’s representation of racist groups and individuals; looking towards the strategies implemented by Black journalists reporting the Ku Klux Klan of the 1920s, Harcourt sees a way to utilize the media to combat rather than popularize dangerous ideologies.
Harcourt is an assistant professor of history at Austin College, and his scholarship is primarily focused on issues of prejudice, politics, and popular culture in the United States. He is the author of Ku Klux Kulture: America and the Klan in the 1920s, and the assistant editor of two volumes of Eleanor Roosevelt’s collected writings. His work has appeared, among other places, on WNYC, the Smithsonian Channel, and CBS Sunday Morning.
JULIE HEMPEL | Austin College Faculty
Gained in Translation
Ever get the feeling that you just can’t find that one word you’re looking for? What if you were to learn it resides in a language entirely different from your own? Julie Hempel’s “Gained in Translation” explores the ways in which cultures are enriched by words, phrases, or concepts translated from other languages. Take a look around and you’ll find borrowed treasure tucked away into every corner of our daily discourse, from the wildly popular Squid Game to the kindergarten school year. Hempel reminds us that enriching our understanding of multiple languages can change our world in wonderful ways.
Hempel is a translator from Spanish to English. Her primary interests are the intersections of race, class, and gender in contemporary Mexican and Chicanx literature, as well as the hybrid identities in Asian-Latin American narrative and poetry. She has a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan in Latin American literature and teaches Spanish at Austin College, where she is also the director of the Center for Southwestern and Mexican Studies. She has translated works by Mexican writers Aurora Velasco, Carmen Villoro, Erik de Luna, and Peruvian writer Siu Kam Wen.
BELLA SADA-NIETO ’23 | Kyle, Texas
Betting on Yourself: My Journey with Amplified Pain Syndrome
For years, Bella Sada-Nieto ’23 was told she was lying. Doctors, strangers, friends: each of them dismissed her chronic pain as imagined and manufactured. After a slew of failed remedies and social isolation, she found answers in a long-awaited diagnosis: Amplified Pain Syndrome. Following her diagnosis, she faced the challenge of an intensive rehabilitation program. As the story of her weeks in therapy unfolds, Sada-Nieto takes us along her journey of reconstruction and encourages us to face our own challenges. In each of our battles, she asks us to remember that in order to heal, you must accept where you are, give yourself a chance, and find support in your people. And bet on yourself, always.
Sada-Nieto is a senior at Austin College, majoring in Latin American Studies and double minoring in International Relations and History. Struggling with countless auto-immune diagnoses, Bella was diagnosed with Amplified Pain Syndrome at the age of eighteen. In the summer of 2019, Bella had the opportunity to go to the Rehabilitation of Amplified Pain Syndrome, a six-week intensive program that allowed Bella to live a normal life without the daily disturbances of pain.
TREVOR SLANSKY ’22 Denver, Colorado
Gritty Optimism: Hope in the Face of Climate Change
Climate change, in a word, is scary. With rising temperatures and surging climate disasters like melting glaciers and raging wildfires, it is easy for a sense of doom to take hold. Despite this, Trevor Slansky, a recent Austin College graduate with a degree in environmental studies, asks that we suspend our disbelief and face climate change with a gritty optimism. How has the human race come together to save our world before? How can we do it again? As someone who has dedicated his professional life to taking personal responsibility and joining the forces of climate activism, Trevor urges us to do the same. Can you become the hope the world needs?
Slansky graduated in May ’22 with an environmental studies major and English minor. He is at least 40% sure he knows what he’s doing with his life. He was President of Austin College Thinking Green and a Fulbright scholarship semifinalist. He lives in Denver, Colorado. When he’s not at the gym, you can find him writing his next novel, going on a hike, or plotting his newest scheme for world domination.
Millions of viewers worldwide have seen videos of the annual TED Conferences, where the globe’s leading thinkers and doers have been invited to speak for 18 minutes on a diverse mix of “ideas worth spreading.” Launched in 2009, TEDx brings a TED-like experience to local venues. Some of the best talks from TEDx events have been featured on TED.com and garnered millions of views from audiences across the globe. The talks of Austin College speakers from past conferences can be found on the TEDx YouTube channel.
Business partners for the 2022 Austin College event are Aramark, Cadence Studios, Hilton Garden Inn, and Undaunted Creative Agency.