*Update — TedXNewmanUniversity has been postponed due to the impact of COVID-19 community gathering bans and stay-at-home orders. A new date for the event will be announced at a later time.
The Newman University Department of Student Life has announced the six speakers who will present on a variety of topics at the TedXNewmanUniversity event on April 2 in the De Mattias Performance Hall.
Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased through the event’s webpage.
TEDx is a program of self-organized, independent events that allow audience members to experience TED-like presentations from a variety of speakers.
A committee was formed in January to process the speaker applications from more than 40 qualified applicants. The following are the six speakers chosen:
Roy Moye III: “Power of Diversity in STEM”
? 10 a.m.
There’s a lack of diversity within the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) industry and it’s a major problem. Moye will talk about how STEM professionals from diverse cultural communities can unlock the full potential of economic empowerment and increased wealth within those communities. He tells his own personal story regarding his journey in STEM, revealing his successes and roadblocks along the way as he aims to inspire the next generation of multicultural STEM professionals through engaging and entertaining music.
Kristi Edwards, Ph.D.: “Responding to Domestic & Sexual Violence”
? 12 p.m.
In 2013, community and criminal justice agencies in Wichita and Sedgwick County, Kansas, took the bold step of forming a multidisciplinary team dedicated to domestic & sexual violence response and intervention. The Wichita/Sedgwick County Coordinated Community Response Team (CCR) was established as a formal, comprehensive, collaborative survivor and victim-centered response team. Its founding members included law enforcement, advocacy, prosecution and forensic nursing agencies.
In response to the CCR’s strong foundation, the Kansas Governor’s Grants Office extended the unique opportunity for it to conduct the first “Safety and Accountability Audit,” or Community Safety Assessment, of both domestic & sexual violence response in Kansas and in the nation, which Edwards authored.
Courtney Price-Dukes: “The Reality of Foster Care”
? 1 p.m.
Learn what it means to live the “hard-knock life.” Every foster child has their own unique story. The lack of foster families is having a devastating effect on children in the foster care system. Price-Dukes uses the popular character “Annie” to illustrate how her story is not just a fictional situation but a reality for many children in our world today.
Michelle Vann, Ph.D.: “Getting in Alignment”
? 2 p.m.
As women, mothers and entrepreneurs, we have so many things going that we sometimes get out of alignment. Much like a printer, when we get refilled it prompts us to realign. Vann shares an experience of when she needed to realign and take the necessary steps to get back in alignment. It is imperative that we put the mask on ourselves before we engage in helping others to overcome.
Amy Siple, APRN, FNP, GS-C: “Dying Well”
? 3 p.m.
When someone is given a terminal diagnosis, family and friends often rally around that individual and pledge together to fight. When death eventually takes the person, those at the funeral find comfort when people say they “fought until the end.”
Siple explores the true emotional and mental costs of this approach. She talks about the exhaustion experienced when one is engaged in a battle for life and how it leaves little time for anything else. Siple engages the listener as they hear stories of clients who have “fought until the end,” examining that there might be more to fight for as they consider what legacy they leave — to not just live well, but to “die well.”
