Theme: The Struggle to Stay Human

The talks from our February conference are available! Click the link labeled "TEDxVillanovaU: The Struggle to Stay Human" to learn more about some of these incredible ideas. For more updates, follow us on Instagram: @tedxvillanovau. If you would like to join our community, please reach out to tedxvillanovau@villanova.edu.

Villanova University hosted its fourth TEDx conference on Wednesday, February 19. TEDxVillanovaU’s event focused on the theme The Struggle to Stay Human, a broad topic designed to include a diverse group of speakers. These amazing individuals discussed a variety of issues that face our society - including technology, climate change, religion, humanity, family, elder care, migration, poverty, community-building, and more.

More about the awesome community of TEDx Organizers:
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 our TEDxVillanovaU conference, we combined videos of TED Talks with live speakers and performances from the Villanova community – faculty, staff, students and alumni - to spark deep discussion and connection. The program consisted of a suite of short, carefully prepared talks, demonstrations and performances on a wide range of subjects to foster learning, inspiration and wonder -- and to provoke conversations that matter. (The typical presentation should be a 10-minute talk by a single presenter. No talk should exceed 18 minutes; we encourage shorter talks. Each set of talks will be followed by a short discussion break, a time to converse with other attendees and participate in some student-led activations).

Driscoll Hall
800 E Lancaster Avenue
Villanova University, Driscoll Hall
Villanova, Pennsylvania, 19085
United States

Allison Bajada

Student at Villanova University

Allison is a freshman at Villanova University. She is a native New Yorker but was born in Gozo, an island of the Maltese archipelago. She is passionate about theater and is excited about the opportunity to share her idea worth spreading. Her talk, titled "Breaking the Media's Desensitization Cycle," explains how the incessant violence seen in our 24-hour news cycle has desensitized us to tragedy and has prevented us from taking action.

Bethany J. Adams

Associate Director of Marketing & Strategy, Graduate Studies in Human Resource Development at Villanova University

Bethany is a native Texan with a background in psychology, organizational management, and human resources. She currently teaches in the Graduate Programs in HR Development at Villanova University. Her talks, titled "Bring Your Emotions To Work!", she explains how emotions can help us to make better, more human, decisions in the workplace.

Brandon Ambrosino

Graduate Student of Theology and Ethics at Villanova University

Brandon is a PhD student in Theology and Ethics at Villanova University, as well as a professional tap dancer. In his talk, titled "How We're Turning the Present into the Past," he asks: how can we figure out who we are if we can't event figure out when we are?

Brett Frischmann

The Charles Widger Endowed University Professor in Law, Business and Economics

Brett Frischmann joined Villanova as The Charles Widger Endowed University Professor in Law, Business and Economics, in 2017. In this new role, Professor Frischmann promotes cross-campus research, programming and collaboration; fosters high-visibility academic pursuits at the national and international levels; has the ability to teach across the University; and will position Villanova as a thought leader and innovator at the intersection of law, business and economics. His talk, titled "Re-Engineering Humanity in the 21st Century," argues that the hype about engineering intelligent machines, or AI, is a distraction that blinds us from a much more important and immediate concern: the engineering of humans who behave like stupid machines.

Chris Bragança

Student at Villanova University

Chris is a junior biochemistry major from Southern Maryland. He loves playing pool and soccer, and doing biochemistry research. His talk, titled "Conquering Your Negativity Bias," looks at the neuroscience behind the brain's negativity bias and how conquering this bias can lead to a more human life.

Elizabeth B. Dowdell

Professor & Coordinator of Undergraduate Research, M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing at Villanova University

Elizabeth B. Dowdell, PhD, RN, FAAN, a professor in the M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing at Villanova University, has made significant and sustained contributions as a nursing researcher and advocate for vulnerable children, particularly children who have experienced significant trauma or display high-risk behaviors. Her pioneering research has explored the interrelationships among various forms of electronic aggression, including “cyber-bullying” and “sexting” to inform policy on strategies for protecting children and adolescents from Internet-associated hazards. Her talk, titled "Interrupted Sleep: College Students Sleeping with Technology," explores how sleeping with technology can interfere with human well-being, specifically focusing on the phenomenon of sleep texting as a timely example. She considers how the development of smart phones changed the way we use technology; before it was a tool for information but now it is used as a device to tell the world who we are.

Isabel Forward

Student at Villanova University

Isabel is currently an undergraduate student majoring in English and Education with minors in Spanish, Peace and Justice, and Latin American Studies. She is applying to law school in the fall. Isabel will present alongside Janel Sevilla, a junior at Villanova. The title of their talk is "Remembering Humanity in Immigration Narratives." They demonstrate how memory and empathy can change narratives surrounding immigration from abstractions into what they really are — millions of unique stories of separation, heartbreak, and hope. As Isabel and Janel illustrate, these stories challenge the idea that we are inherently separate from one another and have the potential to shape a reality that reflects our common humanity.

Janel Sevilla

Student at Villanova University

Janel is junior pursuing degrees in economics and philosophy. She hopes to attend law school upon graduation. Janel will present alongside Isabel Forward, a senior at Villanova. The title of their talk is "Remembering Humanity in Immigration Narratives." They demonstrate how memory and empathy can change narratives surrounding immigration from abstractions into what they really are — millions of unique stories of separation, heartbreak, and hope. As Isabel and Janel illustrate, these stories challenge the idea that we are inherently separate from one another and have the potential to shape a reality that reflects our common humanity.

Jill McCorkel

Professor of Sociology and Criminology

Dr. McCorkel is a Professor of Sociology and Criminology at Villanova University and founder of the Philadelphia Justice Project for Women and Girls. She is recognized as a leading expert on issues related to gender and incarceration, and is the author of Breaking Women: Gender, Race, and the New Politics of Imprisonment. Jill discusses how the Me Too movement exposed the ways that sexual assault, violence, and harassment reinforce and deepen gender discrimination and gender inequality in a variety of employment, educational, and cultural settings. Her talk, titled "#MeToo And Mass Incarceration," urges us to examine these issues in the context of the criminal justice system and women's incarceration.

Justin Pritikin

Student at Villanova University

Justin Pritikin is a Villanova sophomore and cancer survivor from New Egypt, New Jersey. He is involved with many groups on campus, most notably the Villanova Men's Basketball team. His talk, titled "Holding On To Normal," insists that it should not take a near death experience to see through the noise and understand what is truly important.

Menduyarka Samuel Dennis

Student at Villanova University

M. Samuel Dennis is a sophomore pursuing a major in Computer Science at Villanova University. He graduated from Science Leadership Academy, an inner-city public school known for its technological advancements ahead of other schools within the Philadelphia School District. Samuel hopes to transform his experience into curricula for secondary school students as both an inner-city school teacher, professor, and hopefully, Superintendent of Philly schools. His talk, titled "Education is Broken: The Sequel to Reviving Philly Education," examines one of the worst performing public school districts in the United States, the School District of Philadelphia. From the perspective of an alumni, Samuel discusses recent problems and existing scenarios, proposing collaborative solutions for a better future.