2023 TEDX Guest Speakers

Caitlyn Archibald, freshman double-majoring in biochemistry and history

Q: What involvement have you had on campus that feels relevant to your talk?

A: “I’m part of the women’s rugby team. I’m surrounded by the strongest women I’ve ever encountered before. I absolutely adore these girls, and just the strength and support I feel from them. They really just support me in every avenue, and they’ve really shown me that I shouldn’t be scared of being a strong, powerful advocate for feminism — and I should be able to talk about things that make society uncomfortable and it shouldn’t make them uncomfortable, but I should be able to talk about it freely. I would say the rugby team [is] a really big support system I have that really impacted me.”

Sherrell Dorsey, entrepreneur and journalist

Q: As social media and multimedia become more prevalent, how do you view the landscape for entrepreneurship and development in journalism?

A: “[There are] so many more mediums now that exist, as you mentioned, for storytelling in new ways and accessing audiences and meeting them where they are — which is typically on their smartphones. And so from the journalism standpoint, the role of a journalist is still very important in terms of getting the facts right, getting the information correct, as you know. So I think journalists and publications as a whole really have to work hard to become the voice of authority because we have so many social media influencers now where a lot of people get their news and information from. If you can build a strong following and a platform with interesting content — content that really connects with people and isn’t just about gatekeeping, then you can really create some interesting feedback loops that people can trust.”

Shantay Carter, ‘00, nurse and mentor

Q: What led you to create your nonprofit, Women of Integrity, Inc., and where do you hope to see it go in the future?

A: “Women of Integrity [Inc.] came about kind of out of necessity. I had just gone through a bad breakup and kind of fell into a depression — so I needed to kind of channel that negative energy into something positive. So you know, just when I sit in my basement, it’s like, ‘What can I do? And this came about. I know I said I liked helping young people. I was a [resident assistant] while I was here. So it kind of gave me the background skills, but I just knew [who] I wanted to be and [that I wanted to] make a difference, and I always like working. I think going through the breakup made me want to be able to impart what I’ve learned from that to younger girls. They wouldn’t have to go to that or the women just in general, and I kind of think that’s what made me spark the spark that made me create the nonprofit. So I always tell people that Women of Integrity, Inc. saved my life. This year, we celebrate 13 years [and] we’ve been able to service hundreds of girls over the years.”

Priyanka Naik, sustainability chef

Q: What advice do you have for people trying to implement eco-friendly cooking practices?

A: “My advice for really anything is to lead by example. Something I would say to younger adults and younger generations is regardless of what access you have to social media and how things are changing and whatnot, I think the essence of seeing your friends do something always influences you. So that’s why leading by example becomes very important, which is kind of how I use social media. To me, my social media community is like my friend group, essentially — I’m showing examples of what I do in the hopes that I’m showing them something new and helping lead them in a certain way. I think if someone cares about being more eco-friendly, I would advise them to start doing it and show their friends.”

Jason Richberg, Suffolk County legislator

Q: How did your experience at Wilberforce University, a private Historically Black College and University (HBCU), impact your approach to politics, considering also your involvement with Kappa Alpha Psi, a historically Black fraternity?

A: “Many, many years ago, there was a show called ‘A Different World,’ which was based off of HBCU, and it was sort of my first real idea of what a historically Black college was about, and going to a historically Black college, especially a small one, was great because it’s a different experience. The folks who I met there, [including] the administration and professors, pushed me in a direction to be uncomfortable, but also put me in a position to engage [in] new experiences. I was put into a different couple of fellowships and internships that pushed me in new directions, which if I didn’t go to I wouldn’t be sitting here today. I wouldn’t be an elected official.”

Read our full interviews with the TEDx speakers at bupipedream.com

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Among the speakers was Sherrell Dorsey, an entrepreneur, journalist and the founder and CEO of The Plug — a digital news and insights platform covering the Black innovation economy. Dorsey discussed how attendees can design their own stories for a better future, explaining that they have to remove biased language and ignore negative stereotypes in stories. In doing this, Dorsey said they will be able to correct our history and find communities who have largely been overlooked or unacknowledged.

Other speakers included Jason Richberg, a Suffolk County Legislator, Shantay Carter, ‘00, a nurse and mentor, and Priyanka Naik, a sustainability chef.

Caitlyn Archibald, a freshman double-majoring in biochemistry and history, spoke about the importance of feminism, as well as how to recognize privilege. Archibald explained that common phrases said since elementary school days, like “boys will be boys” or “girls mature faster than boys,” are excuses used to validate inappropriate behaviors that have been instilled since childbirth.

“Asking some young boys to grab chairs and move tables during elementary school was not ill-intended but continues to belittle women and enforce the separation between genders,” Archibald said.

“At the same time that impressionable boys absorb the lessons about how to earn respect in the world of men, they get the complimentary message that what is considered feminine has less value than what is considered masculine. It is a short step from there to the belief that women should be subordinate to men and sexually available to them.”

A 15-minute intermission followed Archibald’s speech, where students from BU Professor Samuel Elikem Kwame Nyamuame’s African dance ensemble performed the Ghanaian recreational dance called “Kpanlogo.”

After intermission, Richberg discussed his upbringing and how he came to be elected to 15th legislative district. He spoke on the challenges he faced, his difficulty in understanding how loud his distractions were and accepting his need to be more patient, and ended his talk by having attendees reflect on their own purpose.

Carter followed, focusing her speech on how turning pain into power can create resilience. She talked about her journey from nursing to creating a nonprofit organization, and how the hardships she faced led her to create strategies for success.

These strategies, which she refers to as “Nurse Carter’s strategies to maximize success,” include collaboration, connect and confidence.

“Collaboration, learning to work with others to be able to inspire change and to make an impact — you always want to surround yourself with positive likeminded people who are going to support you and take you to the next level,” Carter said. Two — connect, you have to be vulnerable and show empathy, you have to be able to be vulnerable so they can see the real you, and in being vulnerable you have to be willing to be open to share yourself and your journey honestly so people can relate to you. Three — confidence. Confidence is knowing who you are, knowing that you are worthy, knowing that you are enough and you are destined to create greatness.”

The last speaker was Naik, who spoke about three principles that could change one’s mindset, as well as how helping the environment can be beneficial for mental health. The three principles were to “let go of what you know,” to “open your mind” and that “our actions have an impact.” Developing a new mindset can lead to an ecofriendly life that can help people be more open to new ideas, according to Naik.

Sophia Yazdi, a freshman majoring in economics, explained why she chose to attend the talks.

“I decided to come because I really wanted to hear about new ideas, and I think I’ve watched a lot of TED talks over the years and they always have some sort of new take on an idea,” Yazdi said. “I think it’s really interesting to see how someone else might view a topic and it really sort of can change your perspective on things.”

Mwende Wagner, a freshman majoring in sociology, said she also enjoyed listening to the talks.

“I also think that in general, it just sounded like something fun to do,” Wagner said. “You know, there’s a student speaker who was also a freshman — as we watched — so it’s kind of cool to see that students are involved in campus events like this.”

The challenges led to a delay in the confirmation of election results.

“In the past, this website has been buggy and prone to crashing,” Ribarić wrote in an email. “Luckily this year we didn’t have too many issues. Working in an election with so many moving parts such as the [Graduate Student Organization (GSO)], [Judicial Board (J-Board)] and the candidates has also been difficult, as everyone needs to be on the same page when it comes to grievances, voting tabulations and the like.”

The results were officially confirmed by a unanimous vote at an emergency SA Congress Meeting last Friday.

Coming out on top of the five-person presidential field was Elisheva Ezor, a junior double-majoring in business administration and mathematics. Ezor, a newcomer to the SA, gave her thanks to the joint Elections and Judiciary Committee for their work in the election. She did, however, express concerns with information barriers she encountered in the process.

“I had to go out and really talk to people, and I think it could be really cool to see the Elections Board for next year, and maybe I’ll get involved with this, come out with more resources,” Ezor said. “Not just factual information, but maybe also an interview with somebody who has really gone through the process and their advice. Because, on paper, getting an endorsement is so much different from that process.” tedx from page 1 bella daidone

While results were originally planned to be confirmed at last Tuesday’s SA congress meeting, Ribarić said the process of hearing and managing grievances from candidates caused the announcement to be pushed back. Ribarić explained that the BU council representative race has seen the most delays due to the complexities of coordinating with the GSO, as graduate students also vote for the position.

“Finding a time that works for everyone is difficult, as we need a certain amount of people present from each body for decisions to be made,” Ribarić wrote. “The grievances filed to these committees also concern potential Election Day violations, which may result in punishments that affect the results, which is why the BU council representative election is the only race that does not have any projected results as we need to wait for the grievances to be closed for us to move forward.”

The other contested executive board race this year was for VPMA. It is projected that Khalimah Choi Owens, the current advising head office director to the VPMA and a junior double-majoring