November 3, 2023

On Friday, November 3, Columbia College welcomed 11 guest speakers, as well as emcee Shawn Stewart Camps,  to Spears Concert Hall to share TEDx talks emphasizing the importance of “Staying Connected.” TEDxColumbia College SC is a local, independently organized event curated by the Columbia College TEDx team. Speakers ranging from students to faculty and staff, to alumni and members of the general public showed up to share research and personal experiences relating to the significance of our society and a world that works to establish and maintain connection.  

Keynote speakers included:  

  • Stephen Campolo: Embracing Imperfection: A Journey to Wellness and Mindful Eating * 
  • Angelica Gantt, MBA: Is it Just A Magic Number? Embracing Your Financial Manifestation Journey 
  • Dr. Wendy Harriford-Platt: Generations of Learning: A Lifelong Journey from College Dropout to Doctor of Education 
  • Connie L. Johnson: The Problem is the Solution 
  • Wendy Louise Johnson: Breaking Free from Anxiety: Cultivating Egalitarian Relationships for a Brighter Future 
  • Amanda Ling: Ethereal Choreography: Dancing with Ghost Stories to Unearth Connections and Mysteries 
  • Dr. Jennifer Lynne Raasch & Emily Hall: From Funneling to Flourishing: Cultivating Servant Leaders Among Students 
  • Marta Ravin: Navigating the Return to Office: A Transformational Approach to Employee Engagement 
  • Dr. DeShanna Reed: Exposure without Exclusion: How Activating Concentric Circles of Support Can Improve Postsecondary Success for Differently-abled Students 
  • Matthew Wooten: Beyond Labels: Navigating Life as a Black Male on the Autism Spectrum 
  • Shawn Stewart Camps, Emcee  

Columbia College is proud to have hosted TEDxColumbia College SC, and we hope to have provided our community of students, faculty, staff, and alumni with a dynamic opportunity to share their ideas that spark passion, innovation, and a life-long love of learning.  

About TEDx, x = independently organized event 
In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TED Talks video and live speakers combine 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. (Subject to certain rules and regulations.)  

About TED 
TED is on a mission to discover and spread ideas that spark imagination, embrace possibility and catalyze impact. Our organization is devoted to curiosity, reason, wonder and the pursuit of knowledge — without an agenda. We welcome people from every discipline and culture who seek a deeper understanding of the world and connection with others, and we invite everyone to engage with ideas and activate them in your community.  TED began in 1984 as a conference where Technology, Entertainment and Design converged, but today it spans a multitude of worldwide communities and initiatives exploring everything from science and business to education, arts and global issues. In addition to the hundreds of TED Talks curated from our annual conferences and published on TED.com, we produce original podcasts, short video series, animated educational lessons (TED-Ed)  and TV programs that are translated into more than 100 languages and distributed via partnerships around the world. Each year, more than 3,000 independently run TEDx events bring people together to share ideas and bridge divides in communities on every continent. Through the Audacious Project, TED has helped catalyze more than $3 billion in funding for projects that seek to make the world more beautiful, sustainable and just. In 2020, TED launched Countdown, an initiative to accelerate solutions to the climate crisis and mobilize a movement for a net-zero future. View a full list of TED’s many programs and initiatives.  

TED is owned by a nonprofit, nonpartisan foundation. Our aim is to help create a future worth pursuing for all.  

Follow TED on TwitterFacebookInstagramTikTok and on LinkedIn.

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