TedX Opens at Exeter

A single spotlight illuminates the center of the Bowld. The last couple of Exonians fill in the few remaining seats in the stands. Upper Pepper Pieroni steps into the light. As the chatter quells, all eyes turn to them. Even with no microphone, elaborate graphics or fancy props on stage, everyone listens intently.

On Saturday, Oct. 13, the Academy hosted its first TEDx event. Passionate about public speaking, upper Elizabeth Kostina acquired the necessary TEDx license for Exeter last year. Kostina learned that uppers Summer Hua, Penny Brant, Jasmine Liao, and senior Mark Blekherman were also interested in organizing a TEDx event for Exeter, and the five worked together to plan and organize the event.

Brant said that she wanted to plan the event because “there were a lot of students on campus who needed to get their voice out. We really wanted an opportunity where students could share their stories and make their ideas heard so we could get to know them better.” The organizers said they were also inspired by TEDxPhillipsAcademyAndover, which was hosted by Andover in January.

Twenty-three Exonians of all grade levels applied for this unique opportunity, but the organizers chose only eight students to speak. Liao said that the organizers were attracted to applicants with personal messages. “All the speakers were passionate and speaking from their heart,” she said. “They all relate to the topic and that’s what drives them to talk about it.”

Collectively, the student organizers chose to base the talks around the theme of generations. Brant explained that they chose the topic “because there are a lot of different ways to approach the word ‘generations.’ It could be what you created, it could be your family stories, or it could be your research.”

However, the organizers noted that the theme was only a loose guide and that speeches did not have to strictly fit the topic. According to Kostina, “TEDx stipulates that the theme should be a guiding point for speakers but should only loosely reflect their point.” She agreed that they selected the theme due to how flexible its interpretation was. “We were trying to come up with a topic that a lot of people could take and adjust to give their talk,” she said.

Varying from a genetic syndrome to the similar roles that communism and sexuality played in someone’s life, all the speeches had their own connections to the theme.

For upper Justin Li, the topic was a chance to learn more about his family. “I was struggling to come up with a topic [so] I called my dad,” Li said. “After hearing my great-grandpa’s story and my father’s story, I saw a connection in our family being our cultural differences.” Though all members deviated from the norm in different ways, Li spoke about how this commonality had made him feel closer to them.

Though they were inspired by the same theme, senior Gordon Chi chose to speak about the evolution of languages, using linguistic examples from his home country: Taiwan. “I hoped to share knowledge unique to my country,” he said. “That’s when I decided to share the findings of aboriginal languages in Taiwan as part of my talk.” In his talk, he also explained how the changing language affected his relationship with his grandparents.

For upper Ayush Noori, the event was a chance to share a theme that had been on his mind for a long time. His talk was about the neuroscience of non sibi, or “the neural circuits in the brain which underlie compassion and empathy.” Though Noori believes that compassion is applicable to any generation, he finds it especially relevant for the times we live in today. “Ultimately, I hope to have played a small part in cultivating a culture of compassion in our community,” he said.

Meanwhile, Pieroni discussed the concept of labels and how definitions of certain words changed over generations. They said that they had been considering the idea for a while, but it was their mom who encouraged them to apply for the event. In the end, they decided to apply because “I had an idea that sounds cliché, but was worth sharing.”

They described their experience on stage as “a rush of adrenaline. I don’t remember what I said and exactly how it went. But I could feel from the audience that they could understand what I was trying to say and that drove me in a way.” They appreciated how captivated and open-minded the audience seemed. “I think it’s because they were truly interested and wanted to be there.”

Brant agreed that “the general audience was really enthusiastic and connected with the speakers really well. And they laughed a lot.”

The organizers hope to host a similar event next year, improving on certain elements such as the projection, lighting or audio systems. “It would be really fun to have a longer event with more speakers and themes,” Kostina noted. “That would be something really awesome to work towards.”