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s arrived.”

So reads one of the dozens of signs now plastering campus, adorned with the a red “X,” and advertising TED’s need for speakers in the coming year.

TED, or Technology, Education, and Design, is a nonprofit organization that was founded more than 29 years ago on the West Coast. While the national chapter still hosts large conferences, most notably in Long Beach, CA and Edinburgh, U.K., the creation of the TEDx program has allowed for smaller chapters in the spirit of TED’s mission, “ideas worth spreading,” to be founded on college campuses and in communities. Carleton’s newly-founded chapter—TEDxCarletonCollege—is currently working to sponsor an event this fall, which will bring speakers in the community together.     

Carleton’s first official TEDx event will take place on Saturday, October 12, from 10:00 am to Carleton College Licensee, the day-long event aims to “provide a platform for the untold stories of Carleton students, faculty, alumni, and community members, to be shared in two- to eighteen-minute TED-style talks.”

“I envision TEDxCarletonCollege providing a platform to share the untold stories here on campus,” said Balczewski. “We Carls are awesome–and celebrating our diverse achievements, ideas, and talents in one day would be inspiring and motivating! Also, sometimes we get caught up in the grades, stress, competition, etc. of school and learning ceases to be fun. Getting back to basics and exalting IDEAS is really refreshing.”

There are multiple ways that students can become involved in the event, including submitting nominations for speakers in this fall’s conference. The fall line up for TEDxCarletonCollege will include twenty Carleton community members sharing their experiences, and Carleton students are encouraged to identify and nominate individuals with “interesting stories, talents, research, and ideas” that will add to the community. To anonymously nominate a speaker, visit the website at apps.carleton.edu/event/tedx/nominate/. Nominated speakers will receive an email with information about TEDx and auditions.
In audition, students are invited to audition as speakers themselves. All students interested should sign up for a ten-minute “audition” slot in the Boliou auditorium, and should come prepared to give a short, informal idea pitch and or performance, with a casual Q&A from the TED team at the end.

For those who are off-campus, there are other “audition” options available; interested student should contact Emily Balczewski at [email protected]. Students interested in in design, graphic design, and fundraising should also email Balczewski to get onto TEDx’s email list.

Balczewski hopes to start a new Carleton tradition. She also hopes to develop a scholarship fund to allow students to visit TEDactive, an official TED conference that she attended winter term.

For more information, please visit TEDxCarletonCollege’s website at https://apps.carleton.edu/events/tedx.