The finalists for ACU’s first annual TEDxACU event will be chosen through a student speaking competition.
Finalists have been announced and will compete Nov. 6. The winner of the competition will speak at the TEDxACU event April 17 in Cullen Auditorium. The theme is “(re)think.”
Student speaker finalists are Alex Carstens, Victoria Sun and Courtney Tee.
The final competition will take place in COBA 301 at 7 p.m. and will be open to students.
Students who competed in the running to be finalists were asked to submit a video speaking about a topic or idea they feel passionate about. The idea would be the product the student would perform at the TEDxACU event.
“It didn’t have to be academic, but it could be,” said Lauren Lemley, organizer for TEDxACU. “A lot of people speak about just life experiences and understanding people. It doesn’t necessarily all have to be research-based. The talk can’t be a sermon, it can’t advocate for a political candidate and it can’t sell anything. There are limits around those things.”
The process of choosing the finalists was set from selecting the candidates who followed the direct set of guidelines for TED talks.
“It was a panel decision,” Lemley said. “Partially, it was ‘did they inherit all of the rules of the contest,’ and as long as they fulfilled the requirements of the contest. We went through them and looked at a combination of who’s a good presenter, who has good presentation skills and also someone who has a really interesting and captivating idea.”
Carstens, junior biochemistry and biblical text major from College Station, is eager and passionate about expressing his idea.
“The title of the talk is ‘Art is Not Entertainment,'” Carstens said. “So it’s about exploring the idea of art and how we view it as entertainment and as a way to pass the time and something to do. Really, it’s more of a way of communication and a way to be educated in culture and about the world.”
TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to reaching out to a mass audience and spreading worthy ideas. TED started as a conference in California in 1984 and has grown to support and suggest world-changing ideas.
At TED conferences, the world’s leading thinkers and doers present a live talk of their lives in less than 20 minutes.
At ACU, one student will get the chance to be the first ever speaker for the event.
“Whoever gets chosen will be our actual first speaker for the contest,” Lemley said.
