TEDxFSU is now in its fifth cycle. This year’s theme is Against the Current. The ocean currents are one of the most powerful forces of nature on our planet. It has the power to alter our experience as a species on Earth dramatically. Moving against this current is in essence shifting a paradigm. A current can be in society as well, a social norm or societal habits. Moving against these changes status quo and allows people to be different, think different, and change the world.

Turnbull Conference Center - Tallahassee
555 W Pensacola Street
Tallahassee, Florida, 32301
United States

Beth Shankle Anderson

Beth Shankle Anderson is a Tallahassee attorney who also produces and hosts her own internet radio talk show called The Success Design. She has been published both as a legal scholar in the Florida Bar Journal and as a bridal expert in Gulf Coast Bride Magazine and Palm Beach’s Weddings Illustrated. Her writing has also been recognized by literary scholars, as her memoir Mule’s Daughter received recognition as a semi-finalist by the William Faulkner – William Wisdom Creative Writing Competition. On behalf of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Beth has testified before a Florida House of Representatives’ Subcommittee regarding cancer clinical trials. She has also started her own scholarship foundation in memory of her late father. Additionally, Beth was selected by the Tallahassee Democrat as one of the “25 Women You Need to Know” in 2009.

Brooks Reed

Brooks Reed is a senior at FSU majoring in International Affairs and Political Science with a minor in Arabic. In the fall of 2013, Brooks became a founding father of the Delta Lambda colony of Beta Theta Pi, and was selected to serve on its inaugural executive board as the Vice President of Education. In this role, he developed a comprehensive education program for new members that focuses on healthy male identity development and addresses power dynamics within all-male groups. Outside of this role, Brooks has become involved in Men Advocating Responsible Conduct (MARC), a student-run organization on campus that aims to stop sexual violence by empowering men to recognize and prevent it. After FSU, Brooks plan on going into the field of International Development, focusing on civil society and citizenship identity development.

Evan Ernst

Evan Ernst is an entrepreneur with a passion for social impact. A recent graduate from FSU, Evan works full time with Who We Play For—a non-profit he founded while in college in memory of his life-long teammate, Rafe, who collapsed and died at soccer practice due to the leading cause of death in student athletes, sudden cardiac arrest. Who We Play For’s fight is to create a national movement to protect the hearts of our youth by providing affordable heart screenings and increasing awareness. Having recently merged with another non-profit, in total Who We Play For has screened over 45,000 young hearts, identifying 60 life threatening heart conditions.

Jay Quigley

Jay Quigley recently completed his PhD in philosophy at Florida State University. He has published on moral theory, and his dissertation was on the role of caring in discovering moral values. During his time at FSU, he has pursued his interests in practical ethics through teaching philosophy courses, coaching an Ethics Bowl team, co-founding Students for Ending Poverty (STEP) in 2013, and initiating an outreach wing of the FSU Ethical Food Association in 2014. He frequently presents in community forums on ethical issues pertaining to global poverty and animal welfare.

Jesse Henry

Jesse graduated Florida State with a degree in Entrepreneurship and Professional Sales. Jesse has created The Theory of Success LLC, which now operates as a Peak Performance Agency. His book (titled: The Theory of Success) will be coming out in 2017. For more information please check out www.TheTheoryofSuccess.com

Josh Mesnik

Josh Mesnik is a writer, comedian, and life-lover who is inspired by the potential of his generation to embody the evolutionary change necessary for a prosperous and exciting future. Josh works passionately through his writing, sketch/improv comedy work, and as the Student Leader for Open Future Institute’s QUESTion Project, to ignite a sense of personal power, enthusiasm, and self-awareness among his peers. A fourth year student at Florida State University, Josh is majoring in Advertising, minoring in Business, and recently completed his Leadership Studies Certificate at the FSU Center for Leadership & Social Change. Through multiple internships with companies such as Beasley Broadcast Group Inc., Clean Energy Technology Center, and MisterFace NYC, he has developed his passion to communicate powerful messages through the art of constructive imagination and creative expression.

Kelsey Grills

Kelsey Grills is an aspiring choreographer who recently graduated from Florida State University. During her time at FSU she interned at the Maggie Allesee National Center for Choreography, where she worked alongside artists like Liz Lerman, Beth Gill, Big Dance Theatre and Dayna Hanson. After graduating, Kelsey moved to NYC where she has produced a number of her own short films, documentaries and dances for concert and commercial venues.

Megan Schwab

Megan Schwab has a passion for helping people find their own voices, and trust those voices. Megan strongly believes that the best ideas and best answers always come from within. Megan dedicates her time to FSU students as an Academic Advisor with the Department of Undergraduate Studies. In her interactions with students she prioritizes questions and conversations that help students' strengthen their understanding of their own goals, values, and skills as they progress through the first few years of college. She enjoys her job most when she is able to see her students break down the outside messages telling them what they "should" do, and figure out what they are truly passionate about.

Petra Doan

Dr. Petra L. Doan is Professor of Urban and Regional Planning at Florida State University. She has published numerous peer-reviewed articles and book chapters on international planning as well as planning for marginalized communities, with a special focus on lesbian, gay bisexual, and transgendered individuals. Her two papers in Gender Place and Culture explore transgendered perceptions of cities and public spaces and are considered path-breaking articles in the field. In 2011 her edited book, Queerying Planning: Challenging Heteronormative Assumptions and Reframing Planning Practice, was published by Ashgate. In Fall 2012 she served as the John Bousfield Distinguished Planning Visitor at the University of Toronto. In Spring 2015 Routledge will publish her next edited volume, Planning and LGBTQ Communities: The Need for Inclusive Queer Spaces.

Serina Hull

Serina Hull is a student at FSU studying Mandarin Chinese and Business Marketing. She was born in Austria and has lived in countries such as Germany, the Philippines, Thailand, and Singapore. Her experiences abroad have given her language skills as well as cultural adaptability. Rather than hold the mentality that she doesn't really have a home, she likes to think that she is from everywhere. She has gained experience working summers at the US Embassies in Bangok and Manila. She was also lucky enough to win a scholarship to study in Tianjin, China through FSU's summer 2014 Study Abroad program. At FSU, when she is not studying or working part-time as a server, she enjoys volunteering as an actor in FSU student films.

Shivaani Ehsaan

Shivaani Ehsaan is a 20 year old Florida State student studying Political Science and Sociology. She is also an Indian Transgender Woman of Color in the beginning process of her gender transition. Shivaani fights for LGBTQ issues and oppression against the most marginalized among us through the Dream Defenders and The Center for Participant Education—political activism and organizing is a major part of her life. After graduation, Shivaani hopes to become an educator, particularly in the arena of social studies and politics. She wants to challenge youth to think critically and outside of the box on important political issues and to inspire them to get involved politically to fight for change and empower those in the community.