TEDxSUNYCortland speakers take the stage April 9

04/02/2024 

The second annual TEDxSUNYCortland event on April 9 will feature six speakers exploring the need for “Reclamation” in areas as varied as mental and physical health, professional satisfaction and global understanding.

 This year’s university TEDx conference, set for 6 to 8 p.m., Tuesday, April 9 in Old Main Brown Auditorium.

The event is free, but attendees are asked to register in advance through SUNY Cortland’s TEDx page.

The six speakers were selected from among 117 applicants. Two are SUNY Cortland faculty members and one is a student. They are:

• John D. Lin, world traveler, national award-winning public speaking professor and instructor in SUNY Cortland’s Communication and Media Studies Department who believes he has not succeeded in spite of mental illness, but because of it:
  • “Reclaiming our mental health: A struggle in silence to societal success”

• Tui Lauilefue, a Washington State physician certified in both internal and obesity medicine with experience in both academic and corporate medicine, she now works as a direct primary care provider, and is on a mission to raise healthcare standards:
  • “The problem with data aggregation: Reclaiming our identity

• Evan Faulkenbury, associate professor of history at SUNY Cortland and author on books about voting rights and public history, who has sought to bring history to life using methods ranging from podcasts to history ghost tours:
  • “Reclaiming our past through public history”

• Ryan Lerner, SUNY Cortland senior majoring in Adolescence Education: Spanish, honors scholar, president of the Spanish Club, member of the French Club who believes world languages hold the key to increasing global understanding.:
  • “Reclaiming hope and our humanity through language acquisition”

• Yen Maine, a Taiwan native and former Citibank vice president who lost her job during maternity leave, found inspiration to reinvent her family's fragrance business in the Adirondack wilderness, turning adversity into a creative opportunity:
  • “Reclaiming life after maternity leave and job loss”

• Allison Noelle Megherian, a New York City music teacher, singer, author and motivational speaker certified in life coaching, mindfulness, meditation, breathwork and sound healing, who burned out at teaching but found a way back to her original passion:
  • “Reclaim your love of teaching”

TEDx is the localized version of the globally focused TED conferences featuring talks that explore big ideas about science, culture, tech, education and creativity. TEDx presentations follow the same format and spirit.  All talks at the April 9 event will be taped, edited and eventually shared with a world-wide audience on the TEDx YouTube channel.