WCC’s second annual TEDx event allows students’ stories to be told

Lily Cole

Deputy Editor

Hope Bernard and Lex Moore worked side by side when preparing for the TEDx mainstage event. Photo courtesy of Lex Moore.

TEDx events open audiences’ eyes to different views of what others have experienced. In this year’s theme, “Power of Perspective,” improv performers, poster presenters, and speakers shared performances that showcased what it means to see the world through their eyes.

WCC hosted its first event last year under the name TEDxWCC. In the fall of last year, six full-time faculty members divided up the work for this year’s bigger event, and WCC got its license to host official individual events under the TED name.

Hope Bernard, a drama and film instructor at WCC, helped coordinate the event and led her troupe of eight improvisers, current and former WCC students, in different improv games before the mainstage event.

“Several of our improv games had “Ted Talk” themes like ‘give an impromptu Ted Talk on a subject of the audience’s choosing’ or ‘give a Ted Talk in a gibberish language and another student will translate into English,’” she said.

Bernard said that the improv show and poster presentations, which included stories like “How to Comfort Someone who is Grieving” and “Fear Tactics with Abortion,” set a festive atmosphere with Ted Talk red decorations, balloons and catered appetizers.

Lex Moore, a film and business major, applied for the mainstage event after a push from her WCC film instructor, Holly Giesman Rosero.

“We had to give a presentation in that class, and she noticed my comfortability in front of a classroom,” Moore said. “I’ve had experience with theatre and stuff in high school and college, so I think that also transferred in helping prepare and calm my nerves.”

Moore gave a speech called “Plastic Molded Identities: The Shaping of Gender Roles in the Barbie Movie,” which talked about gender roles in today’s society and their impact on women in general.

When Moore was growing up, Barbie was a big part of her life. The thing that stood out and took root the most in “Plastic Molded Identities” was Gloria’s monologue from the movie.

Gloria, a mom whose daughter has given up Barbie dolls, talks about struggles, what stereotypes women have to live up to, and how to combat those. Moore took this and related to herself and what she experienced in life–especially with the death of her mother in 2020.

“[With] Barbie having this large theme of motherhood, it [Moore’s story] needed to be connected in some way, shape or form,” she said. “It’s just that prepubescent uncertainty. I felt like I needed to bring that in, and moments like you’re in a dressing room when a dress doesn’t fit.”

With the TEDx event being an annual occurrence for WCC, there’s more time to share stories and bring struggles, life experiences, themes and ideas to light.

“Next year, it will be even bigger–we will open up the mainstage speaker applications to the community and gather even more applications,” Bernard said.

“Those interested should keep a look out for our communications regarding the event–we should be soliciting applications for mainstage speakers early in Winter semester 2025!”

Click the link for more information regarding upcoming TedX events at WCC: https://nam02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdocs.google.com%2Fforms%2Fd%2Fe%2F1FAIpQLSflMo70k0_q0EGBycz7tpJKUHPT8vXAKadk2TBLabnSZwBy8g%2Fviewform&data=05%7C02%7Chobernard%40wccnet.edu%7Cd4eccc699f174eb7686d08dc6acdfe62%7Cec4c99b641114ea0bd5a735a0ae10394%7C0%7C0%7C638502680179084595%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=55JwXB%2B%2FQyQ1ps3Wgh3j7FnXNWj1Z9TQA%2Bsq%2B6HqT2o%3D&reserved=0