Theme: Solving for Why

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized (subject to certain rules and regulations).

Irmo High School
6671 Saint Andrews Road
Columbia, South Carolina, 29212
United States

Alison Leonard

Assistant Professor of Arts & Creativity in the College of Education at Clemson University

Alison E. Leonard, Ph.D. is the Assistant Professor of Arts & Creativity in the College of Education at Clemson University. On campus, you can often find her teaching dance, drama, music, and visual arts to education majors in the Arts & Creativity Lab, a unique space that she designed for exploration in arts education. Dr. Leonard’s research focuses on arts education, particularly dance in education. With a team of professors and researchers, one of her projects involves National Science Foundation-funded research, creating a virtual environment for teaching computational thinking through choreography, VEnvI (Virtual Environment Interactions). Recent arts education publications can be found in the Journal of Literacy and Language Education, Studies in Art Education, and the Journal of Dance Education, among others.

Christopher Schoelen

Classical guitarist

Christopher Schoelen is an award-winning classical guitarist currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of South Carolina. He has performed throughout the U.S. and Europe; these concerts include venues at Dartmouth College, the University of Seville, Spain, the Conservatory of Music Giuseppe Verdi of Turin, Italy, Chandler Music Hall, WGBH Radio station in Boston, the Boston Public Library, and the University of South Carolina. Schoelen has also made his recent performance debut at Carnegie Hall in New York this past December after winning First Prize in the Golden Era of Romantic Music International competition.

Columbia Operatic Laboratory

Columbia Operatic Laboratory

Columbia Operatic Laboratory is an ensemble of Columbia-area singers established with the goal of bringing opera to new audiences.

Jason Kendall

Jason Kendall is an artist creating multi-dimensional work (sculpture, performance, video installations and drawings) that rest on the conviction that art should generate an experience for the viewer which challenges them on a variety of sensory levels. He attended Art school at Ringling College of Art & Design in Florida where he received his BFA in sculpture. Upon graduating from Ringling he and his wife moved to New York, where they lived in Brooklyn. While in New York, he received his MFA from New York University while teaching undergraduate classes in the fine art department. In 2009, Jason returned to South Carolina after his twin girls were born. Back in Columbia, Jason owns and runs kendallprojects, a company that specializes in custom drawings, logos, and podcasts. In the studio, he spends most of his time developing new projects and ideas around "The Hero's Journey". Find him online at https://www.kendallprojects.com/ or at https://facebook.com/projXkendall/.

Jason Peterson

Assistant Professor of Communication at Charleston Southern University

Dr. Jason Peterson is an assistant professor of communication at Charleston Southern University and the author of Full Court Press: Mississippi State University, the Press, and the Battle to Integrate College Basketball. His research has been published in American Journalism, the book, From Jack Johnson to LeBron James: Essays on Sports, Race, and the Media, and the upcoming volume, Jesus on the Small Screen: Christianity in Television Programming. His research interests include the Civil Rights Movement and sports journalism. Peterson resides in Summerville, S.C. with his awesome wife, Joy, and his incredible children, Addison and Connor. Peterson is an die-hard fan of the Atlanta Falcons.

Jim Dukes

After having received his degree in civil engineering, Jim Dukes embarked on a 20-year career in environmental engineering and civil design. Economic downturn led him to discover photography and art, and in 2013, he moved to Columbia, South Carolina to be the Artist in Residence at Tapp’s Arts Center. There, he began studying healing art—guiding people through their individual healing processes through art. With themes centering around social issues such as abuse, stereotypes, and the human struggle, his work has been featured throughout South Carolina, North Carolina, and New York City. From 2016 to 2020, he was the Director of Healing Art Programs at The Big Red Barn Retreat in Blythewood, SC. In 2020, he became the Executive Director of the Charlotte Art League, a nonprofit working studio, gallery, and education space. A native of Cary, North Carolina, Jim Dukes resides in Charlotte with his son, Caden.

Kate Hendricks Thomas

Assistant Professor of Public Health at Charleston Southern University

Kate Hendricks Thomas is an Assistant Professor of Public Health at Charleston Southern University. She is a teacher, speaker, and behavioral health researcher. Dr. Thomas, also a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, helps businesses and military veterans optimize their performance through resilient leadership training. Visit her website at drkatethomas.com to learn more.

Lindsey Ott

Founder of Energy Bee

Dr. Lindsey F. Ott is a troublemaker and explorer who has the great fortune to also be a teacher. She brings her rebel attitude into the classroom by establishing relationships with each individual student and designing progressive, inquiry driving assignments to meet the needs of each learner. In 2015, Lindsey founded Energy Bee, a consulting firm dedicated to promoting career minded educational opportunities in emerging renewable energy fields, project based learning, and technology integration that provide opportunity for success to all students, regardless of ethnicity, social standing, or previous academic performance. Her most cherished accomplishment is the success of every student, teacher, or soul searcher she meets.

Victoria Hamilton

Disability Specialist at the College of Charleston’s Center for Disabilities Services

Victoria Hamilton is changing how the world views disabled people in higher education. Hamilton grew up in Roswell, Georgia and was diagnosed with cerebral palsy after her mother noticed she wasn’t hitting her developmental milestones. After not being able to speak, she was enrolled in full-time speech therapy all that lasted through secondary school. After graduating with a B.S degree in psychology, Hamilton became a childcare provider for disabled children. She works at the Medical University of South Carolina, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, and Savannah Memorial Health Hospital serving the disabled community. She is the Disability Specialist at the College of Charleston’s Center for Disabilities Services. She recently was accepted to Wheelock’s Master of Social Work program.

Wendy Lesko

President of the Youth Activism Project

Wendy Schaetzel Lesko is president of the Youth Activism Project and author of several books including Youth! The 26% Solution, which she wrote with 19-year-old Emanuel Tsourounis. This national non-partisan clearinghouse located in Washington, D.C. seeks to maximize youth impact in public policy arenas from school boards, transit authority, law enforcement, parks, city council, state legislatures to Congress. Currently, Wendy is involved with youth-led campaigns across the country to stop the school-to-prison pipeline and to extend voting rights to 16-year-olds in municipal elections and local school boards. Together with 150 Maryland students, Wendy coordinates School Girls Unite, a youth-driven program with its sister organization in Mali, West Africa that advocates for gender equality in education.