As the sun peaks above Zwemer Hall, students crawl out of the dorms to start their long day ahead. While the students scatter to different classes, events, and extracurriculars, several faculty and staff members are busy with similar things. Everyone seems to be busy with something from overflowing study rooms to busy courts and fields. One place in particular, Christ Chapel, recently held a busy and exciting event that seemed to be buzzing all over the college campus, the TEDxNWC event. This event featured seven different speakers, all speaking on the topic of allegory and what that meant to them. The speakers involved were Tina Bakehouse, Kristin Brouwer, Dr. Jay Medenwaldt, Jessica Nibbelink, Martha Draayer, Kristi Huss and Dr. Robert Hubbard.
Tina Bakehouse’s speech was entitled “Unleashing the Power of Narrative: How Storytelling Helps You Find Your Voice,” and it uncovered an exciting and shocking truth: we are all built to be storytellers. “All of us can anchor in our confidence and be a magnetic storyteller who uses their voice, body, energy, and overall essence to make the impact they desire,” Bakehouse said. “For stories to be impactful and tug at the audience’s heartstrings however, they need strategy, structure, and style.” She shared several stories in which her voice had been stripped from her which, ironically, taught her that she had a voice of her own and she had stories to share. “What I wanted others to be aware of is we all have stories to share,” she said. “We sometimes hold back and bundle up important, powerful stories inside of us because we care what others think, the fear prevents and holds us back. It takes true courage to speak our truths unapologetically.” Not only was the event an experience for her audience, but she expressed just how much she enjoyed it herself saying, “This TEDx event was an extraordinarily empowering experience for me.”
Another engaging speaker at the conference was Kristi Huss. Her speech was entitled “The Flipping Point: How to Reach the Flip Side of ‘No I Can’t’ to ‘Yes I Did.’” Within her speech, she approached the topic of never giving up on your dreams, even when things get hard. She used the acronym FLIP to describe the process of turning the negative into the positive.
The other speakers covered topics such as toxic leadership, the Enneagram, the solidarity of womanhood, presuppositions and doubt and lament. Each speaker had a load of knowledge to share with the audience that benefited everyone in attendance. If students missed the event, the recordings will be placed on YouTube for public enjoyment. The organizer of the event, history major Elena Lee, described the event as “a year’s work in the making.” She wanted to thank everyone involved saying, “The team and speakers worked incredibly hard to put together the event, and none of it would have been possible without each person’s unique contributions and expertise.”
