I Attended My First TEDx Event In St. Cloud

Being the busy person I am, my schedule doesn’t leave much wiggle room for spontaneity, so when a gap in my Thursday evening popped up I jumped at the chance to attend the TEDx Event in Downtown St. Cloud.

If you are unfamiliar with the TED talk concept, it is a nonprofit organization devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. It initially started as a four-day conference in California 30 years ago, and has grown to support the mission with multiple initiatives. TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, live speakers are invited to spark deep discussion and connection. 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.

Speakers for this event are selected from the local area by the local TEDx board. The speakers for 2024 included:

Marina Cetkovic-Cvrlje – A medical doctor and immunologist who has dedicated her life to researching autoimmune type 1 diabetes who spoke on the importance of testing for the disease and joining clinical trials.

Jerry Sparby – A dedicated educator and community builder with over 54 years of experience. He has served as a principal, professor, counselor, and friend, working across educational levels from preschool to university. Currently, Jerry is deeply involved with the nonprofit HuddlUp, where he mentors and supports teachers in creating healthy classroom communities through engaging play and diaphragmatic breathing.

Ma Elena Gutierrez – A Mexican immigrant who grew up in Lazaro Cardenas, Michoacan, Mexico. She came to the United States in 1996 with her husband, hoping for a better life and found herself becoming a leader in her community for immigrant rights.

Jim Knutson-Kolodzne – A member of the Ottawa Nation from Central, Michigan. Jim spoke on land acknowledgments and why it is important to put action behind the words.

Alise Sjostrom – Co-owner of the world’s only “CheeseStillery,” at Redhead Creamery in Brooten. Her family has a vision to continue creating things that are few and far between in the area. They hope as they build, they’ll add value to the agricultural community, having many partnerships along the way.

Riley Johnson – Co-captain of the US Power Soccer National Team, Riley was recently named 2023 Power Soccer Player of the Year by US Soccer. The sport of power soccer is played in power wheelchairs, and Riley’s passion is in empowering those with disabilities through sport.

Every single talk had my full attention, which is hard to do in our fast-paced, screen-based world. Hearing these local people get on stage and share their ideas to the crowd was inspiring. It left me feeling hopeful for the future with these people as leaders in the community I call home. When the video version is available, I will be sure to include it on this blog for you to watch as well.

If you can get to a TEDx event, I strongly encourage you to do so. I already have my calendar marked for next year in St. Cloud!