Welcome back TEDx-ers! 

With preparations for our 2022 conference underway, there are so many things to be excited about. Since onboarding our new 2021-2022 team at Fall Retreat earlier this semester, we’ve had a blast forming new friendships and sharing so many great ideas for TEDxUTAustin’s conference and culture. 

As we’ve gotten to know our new members, it’s obvious that they have a passion for sharing knowledge.

As an organization, this pursuit is a core value that we hope to demonstrate in and out of our conference because “the power of ideas creates an even playing field and creates equity to grow, build upon yourself, discover new knowledge, and share new knowledge,” according to TEDxUTAustin president, Shanil Jasani.

For many of our new members, this shared passion was their reason for joining TEDxUTAustin.

Collaboration and communication are crucial to spreading ideas, especially with topics that often go unaddressed. Partnerships Chair Naimisha Vunnam stands by this, saying “I love the idea of being able to spread ideas that aren’t as prevalent in society today. I think that being able to exchange topics, ideas of interest, and passions among people is one of the best ways to learn from one another and truly grow as a society, so I want to be a part of that in TEDxUTAustin.” 

Here at TEDxUTAustin, we devote our platform to providing a space for passionate and innovative voices in a special way, as Claire Keegan, VP Creative recognizes: “this is a unique opportunity for a group of undergrads that get to put on a really high-stakes and large-scale event together. Because of that, we have a lot of autonomy in the way it’s run and the way we operate in the context of our position as undergrads and young people.”

In addition to our conference, this freedom as a student-led organization allows us to build a community focused on a common purpose.

Coming back to campus this year has everyone excited about making new friends while we prepare for our conference. Members like Matthew Nelson and Libby Banks are ready to see how they will grow closer with their committees and work together to create a successful day of conference next semester. 

On the Creative committee, Matthew has already been working hard making graphics and taking pictures. As he continues, he says he’s most excited for “working with all of [his] incredible teammates on this big project, being able to say [he] made some of the graphics, and [he] was a part of this bigger story.” 

As she begins planning the conference with the Finance and Logistics team, Libby says that she’s “looking forward to getting to know [her] team better, setting up all the details that go into conference, and helping make a good run-of-show for the day of conference.” 

With the return of an in-person conference, we’re ready to see our work pay off tangibly next spring. 

VP Communications Aarti Aravapalli is “super excited to see what an in-person conference looks like.” In her first year, TEDxUTAustin had a virtual conference, but this year she says, “there’s so much more potential for what we can achieve and there’s so much more we can give back to the community when we’re doing an in-person conference. I’m really excited to see it all come together and for everyone to enjoy the fruits of our labor on an even larger scale than anything we’ve done before.”

As we continue planning our 2022 conference, TEDxUTAustin is building a community and conference founded on passion and excitement and we can’t wait to take you along with us!

Stay ConnecTED!

Caroline Harrison