Theme: Ignite - Kindle, Strike, Burn

We are thrilled to be bringing TEDx to St Olaf College for the very first time as we deeply believe in the power that these talks have in fostering curiosity, inspiration, and insightful discussions. The theme carefully selected for the 2023 edition of TEDxStOlafCollege is Ignite.

“Ignite” is a theme inspired by the desire for change and the power of a community of people that actively share their ideas. During the pandemic, there was a lot of discussion about what the world would look like post-COVID. We are now coming out of this period, but what have we learned? Taking this further, how are we applying what we learned? Have we perceived any growth?

Ignite represents coming out of a period of silence. Ignite is the fire starting after a period of living in the darkness. It's the burning desire to find the answers to our questions, and that lights up other people’s fires to inspire them to do the same. We invite you to collaborate with us in this quest.

The Lion’s Pause
1500 St Olaf Ave
Northfield, Minnesota, 55057
United States

Aiden Kocian

Music Composition major at St. Olaf College

Raised in League City, Texas; speaker Aiden Kocian is a current sophomore at St. Olaf College pursuing a degree in music composition. Since the age of nine, he has been involved in the arts and various musical ensembles: most recently the St. Olaf Choir, St. Olaf Chamber singers, and the Synergy Musicians’ Collective. Energized by the people around him and inspired by the transformative power of love, he is most interested in the intersection between the creative process and the expression of radical self-love. He would like to acknowledge his parents, Anne Lamott, and Carly Rae Jepsen for influencing these beliefs. Today, Aiden’s talk presents an intentionally incomplete framework on how to cultivate a culture of love within the artistic spaces the framework is applied to.

Cassie McDuffie

Community organizer at Springboard for the Arts

Cassie McDuffie is a community organizer and leader with a strong lineage from the Rondo community. She graduated from Metropolitan State University in 2021 with an Individualized Study B.A in Music Business Marketing and Management Coordination and a minor in Advertising. She has DJ’d as well as played her beats at live events all across the Twin Cities on stages such as 7th Street Entry, Walker Arts Center, Guthrie Theater, and one of the Midwest's largest music jubilees, the SoundSet music festival. As an advocate for local artists, she understands the importance of providing opportunities for marginalized BIPOC communities, through the arts, for the betterment of society.

Emma Krantz

Biology major and Race and Ethnic Studies concentrator at St. Olaf College

Emma Krantz is a senior at St. Olaf College. She was born and raised in Denver, Colorado, and moved to the snowy midwest to study science and pre-health. She is a pre-med, biology major with a concentration in race and ethnic studies. Emma has been an individual with disabilities her entire life. She first began working within the disability community during her junior year of high school when she became a certified junior volunteer ski instructor for the National Sports Center for the Disabled. Working within the disability community transcended into her life after high school as she has been a Peer Leader for the Student Support Services for Students with Disabilities, SSSD, at St. Olaf. Emma is also a certified EMT who has been working as a volunteer EMT at St. Olaf and recently became the new Executive Schedule Coordinator for the SOEMTs. Emma hopes to continue her work within the disability community and continue to be an advocate for disability awareness and inclusion.

Jayshree Seth

Corporate Scientist at 3M

Jayshree Seth is a Corporate Scientist at 3M and currently holds 77 patents. She joined 3M in 1993 after a PhD in Chemical Engineering from Clarkson University, New York. Jayshree was appointed 3M’s first ever Chief Science Advocate in 2018 and is using her scientific knowledge, technical expertise and professional experience to advance science, and to communicate the benefits of science and the importance of diversity in STEM fields. In 2020, she was awarded Society of Women Engineers (SWE) highest Achievement Award. In 2021, she became the first-ever winner of a Gold Stevie® Award in the new Female Thought Leaders of the Year category. Jayshree was featured in a docuseries titled Not the Science Type and is the author of the books, The Heart of Science – Engineering Footprints, Fingerprints, & Imprints, and The Heart of Science – Engineering Fine Print published by the Society of Women Engineers, and all sales proceeds go to a scholarship for underrepresented minority women in STEM.

Mary Maker

Theater major at St Olaf College

Mary Maker is a South Sudanese refugee who has supported the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) since 2018 and was appointed a Goodwill Ambassador in March 2023. After fleeing her war-torn country as a child, Mary found safety in the Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya. Mary overcame many challenges to graduate secondary school; she then became a teacher of young refugees in her community while fighting for opportunities to further her own education. Mary is currently studying Literature and Theatre as part of a scholarship program at St. Olaf College in the United States. She sees education as an essential tool for rebuilding lives and empowering a generation of refugee children – particularly girls - who are too often denied entrance into the classroom. Mary has said: "For the child of war, an education can turn their tears of loss into a passion for peace".