Theme: Transform

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).

Joanna Easby
540 Landrum Drive
Williamsburg, Virginia, 23185
United States

Joseph Lawless

PhD Student at William & Mary

Joseph F. Lawless is a first-year Ph.D. student in the American Studies Program at the College of William & Mary. His research interests include the effects of criminalizing sexuality on the making of legal subjects, the role of the affective on subject production, and the relationship of the digital to the sexual in the constitution of the psyche. He holds a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania and a J.D. from Columbia Law School. His most recent publications include “The Deceptive Fermata of HIV Criminalization: Rereading the Case of ‘Tiger Mandingo’ through the Juridico-Affective,” available in the most recent issue of the Columbia Journal of Gender and Law, and “Feeling Hearing Seeing: Nietzsche, Heidegger, and Affect,” published as a part of the Nietzsche 13/13 series organized by the Columbia Center for Contemporary Critical Thought.

Larissa May

Speaker and Founder of #HalfTheStory

Larissa May, better known as “Larz,” made a splash in the creative world at the age of 18, when she launched her fashion blog “Livinlikelarz.” Fulfilling her early ambitions, she served as a social media correspondent to New York and Paris Fashion week. Her new company Livinlikelarz signed multiple clients within her first year of business. During her senior year, she recognized the need for a place on social media to share and discuss the multi-faceted aspects of life that hid behind the “social stories, #HalfTheStory. Since the launch in 2015, the platform has received over 3,000 stories and a combined media reach of over 15 million world-wide. #HalfTheStory has gained recognition from esteemed media like Time Magazine, Good Morning America, Girl Boss, Create Cultivate, and CNN. Now residing in Brooklyn, NY Larz is public speaker and the head of content marketing at Otherland.

Natalie Rowland

Student at William & Mary

Natalie Rowland, from Los Angeles, is a freshman at the College of William and Mary and is a more than undecided major. Her love of the ukulele inspires her to spread her love of the happy instrument with song and service. As the founder of The Heartstringz Foundation, a non-profit organization, she has done so by providing ukuleles and lessons to senior citizens and hospitalized children. She is a singer-songwriter, as well as a filmmaker, constantly seeking out creative self-expression.

Olivia Higgs

Co-Founder and COO of KOMPAS

Olivia is aiming to disrupt the city exploration space, by combining her love of foreign languages and culture with machine learning and proprietary data. She's passionate about understanding people, the way we think and how we act, and how data can be used to predict future patterns in behavior. Towards the end of 2017, she was named as one of the UK's most outstanding young individuals for her contribution to business and technology, and she has continued to develop as both an individual and in business.

Sadhana Singh

Student at Trinity Washington University and DACA Recipient

Sadhana Singh was born in Guyana. She immigrated to the U.S. with her family at the age of 13. She grew up in the Southern United States, but relocated to D.C. to attend college at the age of 28. She is now a senior at Trinity Washington University, majoring in Communication with a minor in International Affairs. She is a DACA recipient.

Sneh Parmar

CEO of Parka Solutions

Sneh Parmar is the Co-Founder of Parka Solutions, a location based marketing company that works with smart transportation companies to enhance the experience of mobility in cities. Sneh mostly grew up in Atlanta, GA and went to the Georgia Institute of Technology. Sneh’s love for building something from nothing led him to entrepreneurship, and his fascination for understanding how the world works pushes him to constantly learn from anyone and everything. His hobbies include playing sports, reading self growth/psychology books, listening to hip-hop, and staying ahead of fashion trends. Sneh enjoys mentoring other students and people because he believes that helping others become better than yourself is the greatest legacy one can leave behind.