At the bottom of the auditorium stood the blocky red and white letters spelling out “Tedx Skidmore.” Gannett auditorium was about half full when I got there, and it continued to fill as the start time drew closer. Videos were rolling on the projector, previewing the speakers for the night. And in the front row sat Xiting Huang, Professor Mary Odekon, Arthur Lin, Bri Watts, and Shay Kolodney, waiting for their chance to share their truth with Skidmore and the surrounding community.
This is only the fourth cohort of speakers to participate in a Tedx talk at Skidmore, but it is the first group that is made primarily of Skidmore students. Previously, it has been all professors or speakers from off-campus. Helen Li ‘22, the organizer, wanted to change this trend. The goal was to “pick out those students who had some achievements in his/her field or creative ideas towards some topics” and give them a platform to share their thoughts.
Li got the idea of holding a Tedx talk from one of her friends at another school, and decided that it would be beneficial for Skidmore to host one more. According to her, Skidmore is a place bursting with “valuable thoughts from peers between us in everyday life,” and it is a great opportunity for people to get the platform they need to reach others.
Over the summer, Li requested to host a Tedx talk at Skidmore. After lots of paperwork and months of waiting, the request was finally approved in December. Helen — along with the group of organizers she had put together — finally began searching for peers who would make for great speakers.
Each of the chosen speakers was unique. Included in the group was Mary Odekon, professor and head of the physics department, who debated whether our current theory of gravity is wrong, or if our universe is filled with dark matter and dark energy.
The next speaker was Arthur Lin, a polo player for the China National team who discussed how to differentiate and advocate for yourself. Third was Bri Watts, a poet and creator of Pass the Mic. She shared her poems and the process of writing a book, focusing on how we must accept the mundane to reach the large achievements in life.
Next was Xiting Huang, who discussed what art is, and how we don’t need to understand all aspects in order to enjoy it. Last was Shay Kolodney, who argued that climate change is a problem that humans created together, and it represents an opportunity to band together once again and make our society better and our Earth a healthier and happier place.
After each speaker, there was a hum of chatter; their ideas sparked conversations in the crowd. They were helpful and thought-provoking, but overall each talk was optimistic. It was a night of sharing and listening that was different and special than other events on campus. After the months of effort put into the program, the success was expected.
Li is now in the process of speaking with representatives of the school to try and make the Tedx talk a yearly occurrence. If this happens, our campus would continue to provide a “platform for students and professors to share their critical thoughts and worth-spreading ideas within the community,” as she says, both at Skidmore and beyond.