Theme: Risk Takers

Taking a risk is scary. That’s what makes it a risk. It implies that a very real possibility of not succeeding looms over the decision in question. In some cases, sustaining the status quo appears much more preferable than running the risk of failure. After all, the status quo is familiar and known, providing a sense of comfort. But what is it that pushes some to forgo the comfort of continuity in exchange for the uncertain?

The theme of TEDxGeorgetown 2015, Risk Takers, will give twelve speakers an opportunity to answer that question on the historic Gaston Hall stage. It will be broken into three different sessions, each highlighting different stages or factors of the risk taking process. There will be four speakers in each session and each TEDTalk will last approximately 13-17 minutes. After each session, there will be Breakout Sessions in which the event attendees will have a chance to interact more closely with the speakers they just heard on stage.

1st session: Inspiring the Uninspired
The first session seeks to address the underlying factor behind those who decide to take a risk - motivation. Speakers in this session will share their “Aha moment” as it relates to a chance they took and how it provided inspiration to move forward.

2nd session: Fail Forward
The second session will focus on the very real possibility of failure that comes along with risk. Speakers in this session will talk about how part of taking a risk is opening oneself up to failure, and how that failure can be channeled into something more productive in the future.

3rd session: High Risk, High Reward
The third and final session will culminate in talks from those who have taken a major gamble in their life and came out on top. Speakers in this session will discuss moments in their life in which taking a risk paid off big time.

Gaston Hall
Georgetown University
Washington, District of Columbia, 20007
United States

Annie Duke

Annie Duke has upped the ante as to what it means to be a “Risk Taker.” Annie is known for having made millions as a professional poker player. She was the leader money winner among all women and holds a WSOP gold bracelet. Having won the 2004 WSOP Tournament of Champions and National Heads-Up Poker Challenge, Ms. Duke now speaks, writes, and works towards enlightening others about the intricacies of a life based around taking risks. Ms. Duke had interest in playing cards from an early age, attended Columbia University, and pursued a PHD in Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania. One month before defending her dissertation on cognitive linguistics, Duke took the biggest risk of all and left academia to play poker. Along with Don Cheadle, Duke co-founded the charity Ante Up for Africa.

Brandon Anderson

Mr. Anderson is a former U.S. Army satellite engineer, a Smithsonian American Ingenuity Award Nominee, a Georgetown University 1789 Scholar and was named one of 100 Black LGBTQ Leaders to Watch by the National Black Justice Coalition in 2015. He earned his B.A. in Sociology from Georgetown University. Striving to create institutional space for communities of color, Brandon Anderson is the founder & CEO of Safety With Accountability & Transparency (SWAT), a technology startup helping cities police smarter. Brandon is responsible for leveraging community input, charting the company’s overall vision, and developing SWAT’s business strategy.

Caroline James

Originally from Atlanta, Georgia, Caroline James studied Government, Environmental Studies, and Music at Georgetown (class of 2016). She has been involved in climate activism throughout her time at Georgetown, including work with Georgetown University Fossil Free from its genesis in 2012. She also has served for two terms as the Georgetown's student government Secretary of Sustainability and was a founder of Georgetown Environmental Leaders, a coalition of environmental institutions on campus. Upon graduation in May, Caroline will be joining Deloitte Consulting as a human capital analyst for the federal government.

Colman McCarthy

Colman McCarthy, a former Washington Post columnist, is the director of the Center for Teaching Peace, a Washington non-profit. He has been teaching courses on nonviolence at seven schools for over 30 years, including Georgetown University and Georgetown Law. His books include “All of One Peace” and “I’d Rather Teach Peace.” He is a pacifist, a vegan and an athlete who has run 18 marathons.

Darius Baxter

Darius Baxter is a senior pursuing an undergraduate degree at Georgetown University in Women's and Gender Studies concentrating in Globalization & Poverty. This summer, Baxter worked in the office of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), and worked to successfully draft and introduce House Resolution 473, Designating June as National Gun Violence Awareness Month. During the time, he was was honored on the House floor and put into the Congressional Record on July 27th, 2015 for his selection into the Stennis Program for Congressional Interns. On top of receiving all Patriot League Academic Honors while competing as a varsity athlete at Georgetown, Baxter has worked in DC youth programs throughout his time at Georgetown, including the After School Kids Program, the Sursum Corda Tutoring Program, Childfund International, and the Special Olympic World Games in Los Angeles.

Elijah Jatovsky

Elijah Jatovsky is a senior in the School of Foreign Service studying International Politics with a concentration in Foreign Policy and Policy Processes. Born and raised in San Francisco, CA, Elijah has also lived in Israel and Jordan. This past summer, he worked for the Department of State’s Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs and will continue working for the Department next summer at the U.S. Embassy in Kigali, Rwanda. Having studied abroad in Amman, Jordan in Fall 2014 where they worked in the Zaatari Refugee Camp for Syrian refugees, Elijah and Patrick are deeply interested in the refugee crisis plaguing today’s Middle East. Through their TEDx talk, they hope to raise awareness of this issue, which becomes more pressing by the day.

Isvari Mohan

Isvari is a second year law student and Global Law Scholar at Georgetown Law. She is the author of The Eyes of Mikra, a war drama about a soldier who gets amnesia on the eve of a civil war. Her column for the Washington Times, “Muse on News,” deals with hard-hitting political issues in a fun way and seeks to bridge the gap between teenage pop culture and world politics. Isvari has traveled to over thirty countries and speaks multiple languages. She got her B.A. from UC Berkeley in 2014, where she received several honors, most notably the Regents’ and Chancellor’s Scholarship (UC’s most prestigious). She has worked abroad in India for a think-tank, lived in Switzerland, where she worked on supersymmetry at CERN, and interned in cyber security law in Brussels. During her time in the sciences, she also researched in particle and astrophysics at Fermilab and at LBL with Nobel Laureate Saul Perlmutter.

Margot Keale

Margot Keale is a senior in the School of Nursing and Health Studies pursuing a degree in Healthcare Management and Policy, with a concentration in Policy Analysis. She is thrilled to participate in TEDxGeorgetown and to have the opportunity to speak on Gaston Stage – a bucket list item that she wasn’t even aware of having! She hopes that everyone who hears her talk is reminded that there is a beauty and strength in the willingness to take a risk, even when it comes with the possibility to fail. Margot would like to thank the many people in her life who have encouraged and mentored her along this crazy journey, and in particular, her parents and siblings, Kara, Elise, and Christian. Margot credits much of her success to their unconditional love and unwavering support and is forever grateful for their ability to keep her laughing through it all.

Mark Kurbalenko

Mark Kurbalenko has lived a life full of risk, and continues to seek out high risks in pursuit of a great reward. Mark is from Lugansk, Ukraine, and has made it his mission to tell people about the civilian side of war in the Ukraine, his personal war experience from his online presence. His dream is to immigrate to Calgary, AB, Canada, and he has started his own personal fundraising campaign to do so. Though we all understand that seeking to escape the Soviet past and move on from a war-torn personal history is a high-stakes risk, his dream of a Canadian future makes the risk seem worthwhile.

Milton Brown

Milton Brown is a man of God and a lover of people. In his youth he had aspirations of becoming a CPA, but after receiving a draft notice for the Vietnam War, his life took another direction. After returning home from the War, Milton fell on hard times. He struggled mightily with addiction, which left him homeless an extended period of time. After the death of his son, Milton made the choice to get clean and has been ever since. He speaks regularly at institutions of learning in the D.C. area. including Woodrow Wilson High School, Bethesda Chevy-Chase High School, American University, University of Maryland, and Georgetown University, sharing his story and encouraging young people to value the family and close friends in their life while they're here.

Norean Sharpe

Norean R. Sharpe joined Georgetown University in July 2009 and currently serves as the Senior Associate Dean and Director of the Undergraduate Program. As such, she is responsible for overseeing all aspects of the undergraduate program and experience at Georgetown McDonough, including creation of new global programs; development of partnerships with non-profit and for-profit organizations; and donor development to support new initiatives. Dean Sharpe earned a Ph.D. in systems engineering from the University of Virginia. Her career spans more than 20 years as a faculty member and she has published over 30 articles in the areas of analytics, statistics education, and women in science. Since her arrival at the McDonough School of Business she has revolutionized the undergraduate experience with the implementation of several new initiatives such as the First Year Seminar, Entrepreneurship Fellows Program, and the business minor.

Patrick Lim

Patrick Lim is a senior in the School of Foreign of Service studying International Politics with a concentration in International Security. Originally from Singapore, he grew up in London and now lives in New York. This summer, Patrick volunteered at the International Rescue Committee, helping refugee and immigrant children prepare for New York public school. Having studied abroad in Amman, Jordan in Fall 2014 where they worked in the Zaatari Refugee Camp for Syrian refugees, Elijah and Patrick are deeply interested in the refugee crisis plaguing today’s Middle East. Through their TEDx talk, they hope to raise awareness of this issue, which becomes more pressing by the day.

Scott Dennis

Scott Dennis is a 22-year old undergraduate student studying Government and Philosophy. He loves contemplating intriguing, hyperbolically unrealistic hypothetical scenarios, and dogs — particularly beagles. Scott works on campus with a group called Active Minds Georgetown, which strives to engender positive conversations surrounding topics of mental health and mental wellness. Scott is also involved with The Corp’s Philanthropy Committee, which redistributes the profits of The Corp back into the student body (mainly in the form of grants and scholarships). Scott hopes to go on to a career in public service, representing those interests with which he engages on campus. The remainder of Scott’s time is usually spent working nights in The Tombs, or defending the strengths of the movie Pacific Rim.