Theme: Resilience

MSJC’s TEDx program will feature seven speakers of varying backgrounds for this year's event: “Resilience.” The theme aims to highlight ideas and initiatives that aid the community in persevering during challenging times.

"More than a year after the COVID-19 pandemic started – and as the stay-at-home order begins to lift and people slowly step back into the world – we’ve heard about how they got through the COVID pandemic,” said Bianca Swan Finch, Chair of the Department of Theatre for Mt. San Jacinto College, who is a lead organizer of the event. “Therefore, we have focused this year's theme on these stories within our community. Through the trials of 2020, our community truly showed remarkable resilience.”

1499 North State Street
San Jacinto, California, 92583
United States

Angélica M. Anderson

Master of Business Administration - Higher Education

Angélica has a Master of Business Administration from CSU San Marcos and over 20 years of inspirational speaking. As a former founder of an Emergency Shelter Home, Angélica helped shape the lives of over 80 youth. Today, she holds the role of Mt. San Jacinto College (MSJC) PUENTE mentor, a program that assists the latino/a community in adjusting to college life and preparing for transfer to four-year universities. As an administrative support for the Honors Enrichment Program, an academic-based program, she assists students in achieving their highest academic potential. She received the 2020-2021 MSJC's Classified Professional of the Year – Award for Outstanding Service and Dedication. Angélica also serves as the American Association of University Women (AAUW) Scholarship Officer. Angélica's diverse background has given her the experience needed to do what she loves most: empower others to look at their successes and failures as a step to their next greatest potential.

Brandon Allen

Motivational Speaker

Brandon quickly learned how societal norms affected his self-esteem and relationships. The effect of addiction and struggles that stem from it, played part into what led to many poor decisions, pride, and continued failures, that eventually ended with homelessness. Feeling muted and discarded he slipped into a dark destitute state. Holding on by a thread he searched for an answer to the hovering question: “why don’t I just give up?” Then in 2009 he had an encounter almost like an awakening. He had an experience with God that was more alive than he could ever imagine, and it pushed him into seeking a relationship he never truly had. From a Father he never really knew. This opened the door into his destiny. In Brandon's poetic work and profound thoughts about life events and his walk with Christ, you learn exactly what happens "WHEN THUNDER SPEAKS" by gaining insight into a world that is equally balanced with the ugly truth and the beauty of coming out on the other side.

Dr. Kat Kiefer-Newman

Storyteller, Author, and Professor

Dr. Katherine Kiefer-Newman is a storyteller, author, and professor. She lives with her husband, two silly dogs, a bossy cat, and at least one of her two adult daughters at any given time in the dusty Quail Valley area of Southern California. You can find more from her on her podcast, Lost in the Rabbit Hole, where she shares and goes into the darker background of folktales and fairytales.

Dr. Lillian Greene Melendrez

Licensed Vocational Nurse Board of Vocational and Psychiatric Technicians

Dr. Lilian Melendrez is a wife, a mother of 3, and a grandmother of 19. She has a MA and Ph.D. in Public Administration with a minor in Health Care law from La Verne University in La Verne, CA. She worked as a Psychiatric Technician at Patton State Hospital, where she also served as the Chief of their Central staffing office until her retirement. Some of her free time is spent helping people as an ordained minister for American Marriage Ministries.

Julie Falen

Finance Professional

Julie has been a finance professional, production budget master, real estate investor- educator, and an entrepreneur for over 25 years. After getting her fill of the TV/Film business, Julie began teaching financial and mortgage education classes to realtors and in the community. Julie became an Investment Advisor Representative, and for many years she has been an active investor in oil and gas royalties the stock market, and real estate, buying, flipping, and holding rental properties including apartment building out of state. The host of her own Radio Show “Julie Talks Money” on ABC and NBC Talk Radio, and a Financial Life Coach, Julie’s passion is to help people, especially women, understand how to Make more money, Grow it, Keep it and Use it in smarter ways – and use new knowledge about money, debt and leverage on their way to transforming their financial life, making their visions a reality, and creating wealth and Financial Freedom!

Stephanie Otero

CEO - Feeding America Riverside

Stephanie has over 20 years of experience in the non-profit and financial/accounting industry. She specializes in non-profit sustainability and growth, including fundraising & development, financial accounting & reporting, team development & recruitment, board engagement, Human Resources and more. While holding dual roles as both the CEO and CFO at FARSB, Stephanie has successfully re-structured existing programs, increased board engagement, implemented strategic processes to improve food bank efficiency, developed new and necessary programs, and provided a foundation for future food bank growth. Stephanie holds a BS in Accounting from San Diego State University, and plays a hands-on role in bringing the food bank’s vision to life.

Von Lawson

Dean of Career Education

Currently, Von serves Mt. San Jacinto College as the Dean of Career Education, where he has overall responsibility for providing day-to-day supervision and leadership to the career education programs' instructional personnel, expenditures, and facilities at the San Jacinto campus with program oversight district-wide Von has administrative responsibility for degree programs and the general education curriculum and he is responsible for providing leadership and vision for the assigned campus and programs. Von is responsible for planning and developing new academic programs that respond to student needs, workforce demand, and emerging fields in collaboration with faculty, staff, and other educational institutions and agencies. Summarily, Von brings experience spanning 30+ years in state government, higher and career technical education.