ABOUT US
Founded in 2023 by Grayson Houston-Henderson, TEDxWIS was built to bring bold ideas to the stage and create a space where people can engage with thought-provoking discussions. Since its inception, it has been dedicated to curating talks that challenge perspectives and leave a lasting impact.
For TEDxWIS 2025, the torch has now been passed to a new team, led by Tindra Jemsby, Carter Samuel, and Sophie Pooley, who have taken on the responsibility of shaping this year’s event. With their dedication and attention to detail, they are ensuring that the event continues to uphold its standard of excellence. Grayson, alongside his founding Associate Organizer, Leonardo Sarzi Braga, now serves as a Senior Advisor to the event. As always, under the guidance of our esteemed faculty advisor, Natasha Bhalla, TEDxWIS remains committed to fostering meaningful dialogue and bringing powerful ideas to the forefront.
Join us as we continue to celebrate the power of ideas and the impact they can create.
Meet the team
Grayson Houston Henderson
Leonardo Sarzi Braga
Claudia Cardenas
Julia Forrester
Natasha Bhalla
Tindra Jemsby
Carter Samuel
Sophie Pooley
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A TEDx event is a community-organized event that is independent of TED that follows the TED format and goals. TEDx events strive to share innovative ideas through performance, talks, and demonstrations to provoke important conversations. TEDx events present a diverse variety of opinions, topics and ideas. Importantly, a TEDx event is free of any commercial, political, or religious agenda nor are they used to raise money, even for charity. The goal is to inspire change and thought-provoking conversation. TEDx events should center around one question or main idea, but the talks can and should be about anything and approach the general theme in diverse ways.
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The goal of TEDx-WIS 2024 is to make the idea of becoming a changemaker more tangible for attendees. The concept of being a changemaker can feel a bit abstract, and by connecting our audience with speakers who share practical insights from their own experiences in creating change, attendees will gain knowledge that will support their ability to take action and have a positive impact on the world. The title for TEDx-WIS, “Catalysts of Change”, underscores our goal to showcase speakers who have actively driven change across various industries or professions, allowing attendees to discover that the potential for creating impact spans a multitude of domains. In turn, this will broaden attendees' perception of change-making possibilities, motivating them to recognize avenues for positive influence within their own fields of interest. The TEDx-WIS event will be a space where attendees gain clarity and feel motivated to become changemakers, across a wide variety of industries and professions.
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TEDx talks are concise, limited to under 20 minutes, focusing on innovative and thought-provoking ideas in various fields. They utilize a narrative style, with storytelling and visual aids to engage the audience. These talks reflect the diversity of the local community and are part of a global platform through the TED community. The content aims to inspire, challenge, and inform, distinguishing them from typical speeches. In contrast, a typical speech or keynote may cover a broader range of topics and can vary significantly in length and presentation style.