By Hailey MacDonald, Editor-in-Chief
Saturday, March 20 will be a historic day for our community — it’s the day of the long-awaited TEDxWesternNewEnglandUniversity event.
Beginning at noon on that day, six individuals of the Western New England University community will fill Wood Auditorium with their voice to educate and inspire with their own original TED Talk.
Maxime-Andre Caleb Moulema Douala, a sophomore Neuroscience and Chemistry major at Western New England University, is responsible for bringing this event to campus. He is the Founder, Licensee, and Head Organizer of the University’s event, but it is not his first time being involved in the TED organization.
“I have been a TED member and TEDx organizer for what will now be 6 years,” says Moulema.
As a student, Moulema has a “desire to transform this campus and connect curious minds with revolutionary ideas.” After seeing the reach that TED Talks have on people all over the world as well as the opportunity it provides for letting people speak their truths, he knew that it was something that would benefit our campus.
When Moulema first had this idea, he approached Melissa Lambert, the Director of Student Involvement & Leadership at the University. Since the very beginning, Lambert has been supportive, and she “was the one who saw this for what it could be, took a chance on us, and has been supporting us since we began this project,” according to Moulema. He stresses that without her support, this event would not be where it is today.
As the licensee of the event, Moulema has many very important responsibilities in order to ensure that they are able to keep their license and also have the ability to be published on the official TED YouTube page. “There are A LOT of rules and I constantly need to stay up to date with them as they can change, and new problems always arise,” he says.
However, it is not only Moulema who is planning this ground-breaking event. He is also surrounded by five other hard-working, dedicated students who have been the driving force behind making the event happen.
There are four departments: Curation, Communication and Design, Audience Experience, and Tickets and Registration.
The two individuals responsible for the Curation efforts are Carly Schneider and Stone Murphy, two sophomores who excel in their duties. Their primary responsibilities are to ensure that there is consistency within their team and beyond as well as plan the event day itself. They also led the speaker application, audition, and selection process.
“This post requires an extraordinary amount of problem-solving, attention to detail, and intentionality — things that Carly and Stone have done with excellence and grace,” says Moulema. “Without them, we would not be where we are.”
The application, audition, and selection process was a rigorous one, and unfortunately, there were people who were denied the opportunity to give their own TED Talk. According to Moulema, the development of the idea as well as the ability for that idea to change the way that people see the world was essential to choosing the speakers who would make up the TED event.
Evans Payen is the Communications and Design Team lead for the event, where he specializes in marketing and promotion. Quality social media and on-campus advertising is crucial for any event, but especially for one that is so large-scale and has the potential to reach so many.
“This post requires a unique sense of creativity, strong ability to communicate our ideas, and the ability to capture the essence of our program through marketing content,” says Moulema. “Without Evans, our communication pipeline to the campus community is severed and it wouldn’t be as big as it is without his invaluable contributions.”
Allie Buzzeo is responsible for the Audience Experience portion of the event. Her primary goal is to create an atmosphere that makes TEDxWNE more than an event, but an entire experience.
“Designing pre-event engagement, assembling goodie bags, assisting with the creation of the TEDx sign, and assessing post-event engagement, are just some of my responsibilities since accepting this role,” says Buzzeo, who is a student with a wide variety of programming experience and leadership duties.
“Allie has exceeded this in her collaboration with GBTV, OIT, and has positioned us a lot farther than most TEDx organizations in their first year,” says Moulema, who shares his appreciation for Buzzeo’s hard work. “She has done a lot with so little and for that we are eternally grateful.”
Lastly, Emma Colegrove has been involved in this event in a few different ways. She first started off on the curation team, where she helped select the line-up of speakers with Murphy and Schnieder. Currently, she holds the lead role of the Tickets and Registration process, where she works directly with Buzzeo to make sure that they are creating the best possible experience for those in attendance.
“I am now responsible for the guest lists and organization of the event, making sure the audience complies with university and COVID-19 policies while still ensuring that each talk gets the audience it deserves!” shares Colegrove.
Needless to say, the COVID-19 pandemic and statewide guidelines and regulations create a lot of hurdles for this. Colegrove has had to juggle those rules while also trying to create the best possible event for the University community.
Moulema states that Colegrove has been a great addition to the group. “She provides energy, dedication, and resourcefulness that makes her an integral part of this team,” he says.
The TEDxWesternNewEnglandUniversity team is ready for their hard work to pay off. They have been chipping away at this event for many months, working tirelessly with the potential success of this program in mind.
Without the team, Moulema says that he and TEDxWNE would not be where it is today. “As for me, I am lucky to have them by my side. While I hold the license, I am nothing without my team and I would not want anyone else by my side in this entire process.
The TEDxWNE event will have six speakers. Their names and a description of the subject matter can be found on the accompanying flyer.
This is not a one-and-done event — hopefully, this event can continue on with the campus in the years to come. Moulema has ensured that the early stages of the process are in good hands for next year.
Maria Khan will be taking over the licensee role for the next cycle. “[Khan] is someone who has proved herself to this team and those watching. She is reliable, meticulous, and someone with the initiative to take this program to the next level next year,” says Moulema.
Khan has been preparing for her term by taking the time to read and understand the rules for the different licenses, step in to help where she can, and has even done her fair share of leading meetings. Moulema is confident that the show will go on with her.
Overall, this event is not one that should be passed by. A handful of students and members of the campus community have been working hard to make it one of the most monumental, impactful events that the University has seen.
“I can’t wait for our campus community to be able to hear our amazing speakers who are a part of the WNE family,” says Colegrove, who is so excited to see the University become a part of the infamous TED community. “Everyone has put in so much time and hard work. I can’t wait to see it come all together.”
Buzzeo echoes this statement, “I think students, faculty, and staff alike will really enjoy what we have been able to put together over the last few months,” she says. “I hope to see the continuation of this event into 2022 and beyond.”
If you are interested in attending any of the TED Talks, check out University Posts for the link to the Google Doc Survey to RSVP. For more up to date information, check out @TedxWNE on Instagram or their website, tedxwne.wixsite.com/thebigger picture. If you have any questions, contact [email protected].
