Theme: Inspire

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).

Joyce J. Cammilleri Hall
3620 McClintock Ave
Los Angeles, California, 90089
United States

Adrian Herrera

Fighter Jet Aviator

Captain Adrian “Heist” Herrera is a United States Air Force Officer, and an F-15E Instructor Weapon Systems Officer. He has over 900 flight hours in the F-15E, with over 400 combat hours flying over Syria and Iraq in support of Operation INHERENT RESOLVE. As an F-15E aviator, Captain Herrera executes a full array of higher level directed missions against high value targets across the world. He is currently on the Department of Defense Career Intermission Program (CIP), and is a candidate for the Master of Public Administration from the University of Southern California’s Sol Price School of Public Policy. His talk emphasizes the role of support in life, using anecdotes from his military flight training and his coming out story during “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”

Ailish Ullmann

Senior Undergraduate at USC

Growing up surrounded by Florida’s unique wildlife, Ailish’s passion for nature conservation started at a very young age. However, it wasn’t until she spent six months studying wilderness loss and climate change with a research lab in Australia that she knew she wanted to dedicate her life to saving the world’s remaining untouched wilderness areas. A newly graduated USC alum, Ailish is combining her background in environmental research and virtual reality film production with her passion for wilderness conservation to help shape the way people think about global environmental issues.

Imani Johnson

First Year Master's Student at USC

Imani rallies alongside people, communities, and organizations that seek to uplift and empower disenfranchised persons. Her writing for RLegacy.co educates and encourages people to take hold of their finances. She has worked and consulted for education programs across the United States, and was recognized for her social justice work by the Maroon Tiger Student Media Group, awarding Imani the title of Woman of the Year in 2014. Imani is continuously seeking opportunities to gain experience in venture capital and impact investing. Her goal is to deploy strategic capital and initiatives in low-income communities, where the members not only have a voice but lead the innovation. Imani is a full-time student in the USC Marshall School of Business studying for M.S. in Social Entrepreneurship. She holds a B.A. in Psychology from Spelman College.

Keon Sanaie

Freshman Undergraduate at USC

Originally from Fresno, CA, Keon is a freshman student studying Business Administration at the Marshall School of and. Additionally, he’s currently pursuing a minor in Political Science, and is a member of USC’s Unruh Institute. Diagnosed with Tourette’s Syndrome at a young age, he’s studied the condition in detail and outlines its effects, digressing to identify a larger problem faced by society. With a passion for writing and background in public speaking and debate, Keon hopes to use the TedX platform in an effort to reach a broad audience, and explore an issue that otherwise hasn’t been discussed.

Nicole Ricken

Sophomore Undergraduate at USC

Nicole Ricken is a 20 year old childhood cancer advocate, singer-songwriter, and student at USC. Her passions for music and songwriting quickly evolved into a purpose when she wrote the theme song to an Emmy award-winning childhood cancer film many years ago. Since then, she has dedicated her life to giving a voice to the suffering and bringing healing to people in the darkest moments of their lives through music. Nicole’s purpose is to empower others to be extraordinarily kind and to employ their talents and gifts for the greater good of humanity.

Richard Aviles

First Year Master's Student at USC

Jose Richard Aviles is a second year candidate at the Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work and Sol Price School of Public Policy at USC. With a passion for dance, queer theory, and community organizing. Aviles choreographs in the hopes of inspiring communities to empower themselves and advocate against oppression at large. Under the creative direction of award-winning choreographer Marina Magalhães and Argel Rojo, Aviles piece recalls upon the hidden stories of his body, the intangible heritage. Drawning upon the intangible heritage, Aviles aims to inspire audience members to draw upon their stories of joy and trauma and turn them into futures of resiliency.

Shane Shahrestani

MD/PhD Candidate at USC/Caltech

Shane is a second year medical student at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. Realizing his passion for medicine at an early age, Shane has spent several years trying to make healthcare more accessible to underserved populations through his nonprofit organization, Discovering Dialysis. He believes that the only way to solve these deep-rooted accessibility-related health disparities is by adding an interdisciplinary perspective to the solutions we create. With interdisciplinarity in mind, Shane has created iPhone and Android apps, educational campaigns, and several collaborative projects that all seek to alleviate local and international health disparities.