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).

Sadler Center
200 Stadium Drive
Williamsburg, Virginia, 23186
United States

Adeline Steel

Adeline loves all of the wonderful people she’s come to know during her time at W&M so far, she's met so many friends through classes, clubs, and work. Adeline is an English major, and she thinks the English department is such a wonderful field to study at William & Mary because of the rich history and the high value they place on literature. She’s also involved in a couple clubs, including W&M Archery Club, where she serves as the Vice President. Additionally, she works for the W&M Theatre and Dance Box Office and Content Services at Swem Library! Adeline loves both of my jobs because they allow her to connect with two of the things she loves most: books and theatre. Adeline is also a student photographer for various on campus organizations, including the Theatre Department, the English Department, and Sinfonicron. One of her proudest achievements is that she is the winner of the 2021 and 2022 Bob Hoffman Short Story Creative Writing Contest! She is also a published poet in The York Review Literary Magazine. Adeline is a member of both the Cum Laude Society and National Honor Society.

Jason Zheng

Jason Zheng is a Posse Leadership Scholar at William & Mary, double majoring in public policy and sociology with a concentration in criminology, law, and society, who hopes to pursue law school after graduation. On campus, he is a peer mentor for the Sharpe Community Scholars program, a resident assistant, the chair of the Independent Elections Commission, and a former competitive season captain of the Mock Trial Team. Jason hopes his talk resonates with others about observing challenges in their communities and finding that willingness to make a positive impact. He hopes to refer to the perspective shaped by prior leadership experience to underscore the invaluable quality of leaders as advocates and active participants seeking to create a more well-rounded 21st century. In his free time, you will find Jason taking pictures of campus, chatting with friends in Colonial Williamsburg, and typing away on the third floor of Swem.

Jazzy Lorenz

Jazzy loves learning more about others and about the community of William & Mary as she is pursuing a double major in Public Policy and Business Marketing. She loves playing collegiate soccer at the highest level, being a goalkeeper on the William and Mary Women's Soccer team. Some memorable experiences include making it to the CAA Women's Soccer Semifinals, Women's in Sports Day empowering young athletes, and Tribe360 growing as a young athlete and leader. Jazzy created a personal podcast called C'mon Now Podcast, and she is also a WM Wellness Center Ambassador, with a focus in marketing the Health and Wellness Ways to Flourish Podcast.

Josh Farris

Josh recently authored a 53 page qualitative study on best practices for creating youth advisory boards for marginalized young people. Josh has presented his findings at the national conference in New Orleans, and the Social Justice Conference at Christopher Newport University. He has published research with the Pell Institute and funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. He has served as a consultant for various non-profits, Ed. Tech. companies, and colleges. He is an Educational Public Speaker and has spoken for various school districts, state agencies such as the State Council of Higher Education in Virginia. He has spoken for the WJCC Community Housing Agency to incentivize landlords to provide permanent housing for families who have experienced housing insecurity or rely on public housing assistance.

Tom Sherman

What Tom loves most about being an inventor and entrepreneur is both researching topics of interest and applying his findings and conclusions to the world. The ability to openly question, deconstruct, and re-engineer systems is a freedom that is not usually afforded to most professions. Tom has discovered the 5th season of the year and created a new timekeeping system, which has been featured on NPR and iHeart Radio. Recently the New Calendar went viral on TikTok, with multiple videos surpassing 1 million views, and gained over 25,000 followers. He navigated the patent process as a pro se inventor. He founded multiple nonprofit organizations (The Run For Veterans and MoonCat Comedy Club) that have impacted the lives of countless individuals across the country. Voted "Best In Delaware" for radio news in 2018 was his work as the morning news anchor with 92.7 WGMD. He won the Dogfish Head Co-Worker Bocce Ball Tournament in 2015, and was a gold medalist in the co-worker Olympics in 2016. A proud new father; Tom’s firstborn child was born February 15th, 2024.