Theme: Come to Your Senses

Sight. Hearing. Touch. Taste. Smell. Our physical senses, often taken for granted, can become dull – even numb – as we push through the monotonous gray of our day-to-day routines. Every so often, however, our senses wake from their slumber when we encounter the unexpected. A stunning sunset. Fresh-roasted coffee. A beautiful melody. Rich flavor. A warm embrace. These moments remind us that we are alive; we become more fully present.

In the same way, compelling ideas can awaken the deeper senses. A sense of responsibility. A sense of purpose. A sense of shared humanity. We become numb to the need for community, dulled to the desire for civility, and deadened to the problems and suffering of the world around us. When we encounter an unexpected idea that resonates deep within us, it has the power to revive our latent dreams – the ones that make us truly alive. We wake up. We see a vision. We hear a calling. We come to our senses.

Meiley Swallow Hall
31 S. Ellsworth
Naperville, Illinois, 60540
United States

Kristin Clifford & Donna Marino

Dr. Kristin Clifford is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist in Illinois who has been working professionally in the mental health field since 2008. Dr. Clifford graduated from North Central College in 2003. She later graduated from the Adler School of Professional Psychology with her doctorate in clinical psychology. Her training and clinical experience is varied and includes providing biofeedback and meditation at Northwestern University’s Stress Management clinic, providing therapy and psychological assessment in community mental health centers, college counseling centers, and private practices. Dr. Donna Marino has been a Licensed Clinical Psychologist in the state of IL since 2005 and has been working in the mental health field since 1996. Dr. Marino graduated from the American School of Professional Psychology in 2003 with a concentration in Child and Family Psychology. Since then she has completed additional certifications in Positive Psychology (the Science of Happiness) with Harvard Professor Dr. Tal Ben Shahar, Positive Psychology Coaching with Dr. Robert Biswas Deiner, and Yoga for Depression and Anxiety with Amy Weintraub.

Ashley Eisenmenger

shley Eisenmenger is a student from Tolono, Illinois studying organizational communications at North Central College. As a result of premature birth, Ashley has been legally blind all of her life. She has run several half marathons, a marathon where she qualified for the Boston Marathon, competes on the North Central College Triathlon Team, competes on the Dare2Tri Paratriathlon Elite Team, is a member of Team USA Paratriathlon's National Development Team, and is the current National Champion in Paratriathlon for her sport class. Ashley also spends time mentoring visually impaired youth in the sport of paratriathlon and those transitioning into high school and college.

David Johnson

David Johnson is an internationally published editorial photographer based in Chicago, Illinois. While pursuing a theological studies degree and training to become a national level sprinter, David's work as a volunteer youth mentor brought him on several trips overseas where he began to grow as a photographer. As opportunities to share his images increased, he soon discovered photography's potential to fulfill a lifelong desire to understand people and their stories. David's work has brought him around the globe traveling throughout East Africa, Central America, Asia, India, and Eastern Europe. His images are prominently featured in the award‐winning global re‐branding for Motorola Solutions, and have appeared in Times Square, as well as ESPN, Google, National Alzheimer's Association, Microsoft, and many other national and international forums. He has done extensive work with several non‐profit and international aide organizations helping to raise funds for under‐resourced communities in the developing world, as well as here in Chicago.

Davonte Sanders-Funches

Davonte is a student at North Central College Majoring in Finance and minoring in Social Change Leadership. Personal hobbies include writing songs, poetry, acting, and immersing himself into black culture. Davonte also studies the many disparities African Americans have faced in history in order to understand how to navigate the world we live in.

Jarred DeHerrera

Jarred is a business management student at North Central College from Denver, Colorado. Jarred served as the managing editor for North Central's college newspaper, The Chronicle.

Jennifer Thomas

I discovered my passion for prison reform when I spent four months in Winnebago County Jail awaiting a bond reduction hearing. In August 2011, I was arrested in connection with the overdose death of my best friend. I was a passenger in his vehicle when he purchased the heroin that would later kill him. In jail I became intimately acquainted with the criminal justice system, jail culture, and the plight of the prisoner. That experience profoundly changed the direction of my life. Upon release, I made it my life’s mission to use my experiences to help others, specifically prisoners and addicts.

Joshua Lahey

An organizational communication student from Orland Park, IL, Joshua's personal experience was the impetus for his talk. "The topic of fear is something that I have had personal experience with in the past. When I first enrolled at North Central College, I suffered from chronic panic attacks and anxiety, something I had never experienced before. When I was anxious, my smallest fears would expand in my mind becoming insurmountable feats. However, by looking at my fears as something achievable and not impossible, I let the fears that once controlled my life guide me to a better way of living."

Kelsey Staudacher

With degrees in International Relations and French, Kelsey has travelled to over 40 countries, from farming organic vegetables and raising biodynamic chickens and turkeys in Wisconsin to immersing herself in the expanding natural and organic food industry in the Denver metro area. She is a marathon runner who loves trails, mountains and cooking and growing her own food. She cans vegetables and fruit, and has enough food in her cellar for a small army.

Mae Seely Sylvester

Mae has done it all. From teaching in urban and suburban settings, to working in higher education, to serving as a senior aide to the city council, Mae has built her life around her passions. Currently writing her memoir entitled, "The Child who Danced at Supper Time", she continues to find meaningful ways to challenge and contribute to her community.

Nikki Young

After graduating from North Central College in 2015, Nikki became a Dean's Fellow Scholar in a three year graduate program at Boston University School of Theology. A candidate for ordained ministry in the United Methodist Church, Nikki is completing her Masters in Divinity before returning to serve as a pastor in her own parish in Northern Illinois. She currently serves as the program coordinator for an intentional living community of first‐year Theology students. In her studies, Nikki focuses on Feminist/Womanist Theology, Critical Race Theory, and Trauma Theology. Nikki currently serves on the ministerial staff at Union United Methodist Church, a historically black congregation in the South End of Boston committed to engaging in faith formation and activism through the cultivation of a diverse community.

Reese Richardson

Reese is a Physics and Applied Mathematics student from Woodridge, Illinois. He's competed in forensics (Speech and Debate) since he was a freshman in high school, and came across this topic while doing research for an informative speech. "I love the practice of challenging assumptions, and I believe that's why I want to be a scientist."

Ryan Decker

Ryan currently works as an Economist at PwC, predominantly in the Financial Transactions Transfer Pricing practice. he has becoming a national expert on treasury‐related transfer pricing issues and has assisted treasury and tax teams in designing, pricing, documenting, and defending transactions including intercompany revolvers, loans, cash pooling, and other financial instruments. He is also an experienced published author on issues related to negative interest rates, profit split methodologies, among other economic and finance topics. Most importantly, he is passionate about economic education and financial literacy at all levels of society.