TEDx ‘breaks through’ in Wyandotte County
August 11, 2015 | Andrea Essner
This year, TEDxWyandotte seeks to break down barriers in their urban community.
Wyandotte County, Kan., a community known for its diversity and urban challenges, is currently in a state of transition. The county as a whole is working towards neighborhood and school improvements, ultimately hoping to claim a new position in the Kansas City metropolitan.
TEDxWyandotte, set for Sept. 15 at Kansas City Kansas Community College, is responding to the transitions by welcoming local speakers involved in the county’s changes to come share their stories about “Breaking Through.”
Here’s a bit about each of the speakers:
- Vi Tran is a local artist who believes that art can affect social change through “The empathetic power of storytelling.” Born outside of Sai Gon, Vietnam, Tran began his artistic journey as a performer in refugee camps. After resettling with his family in Garden City, Kan., Tran continued to tell his story and ultimately chronicled his family’s escape from refugee camps in a performance memoir called The Butcher’s Son.
- Annette LeZotte is an art historian and serves as director of Kauffman Museum. LeZotte will speak about the Kauffman Museum exhibit “Sorting Out Race: Examining Racial Identity and Stereotypes in Thrift Store Donations.”
- Hong Hong Hui is a first-year doctorate music student at University of Missouri-Kansas City. She grew up in Hong Kong playing piano, violin and pipa, a traditional Chinese string instrument that has inspired her throughout her life. In her presentation “My pipa speaks for me,” Hong Hong will discuss how the instrument brings Chinese and American cultures closer.
- Shannon Oleen’s work is founded on the belief that hard work, the right attitude and passion will prompt you to achieve your dreams. This belief has led her to NFL cheerleading, living on a canoe and working with a myriad of well-known TV personalities, such as Anne Burrell of the Food Network. Oleen hopes to inspire audiences to seize their dreams in her presentation “The millennial divide.”
Featured Business
2015 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Kauffman survey: Women more critical of their own early-stage entrepreneurial efforts
Women entrepreneurs are more likely than their male counterparts to grade their performances harshly during the first year of business, though that tendency typically fades over time, according to a new survey by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. It often is about approaching the venture a realistic viewpoint, said Jeff Shackelford, executive director of Digital…
Video: ShotTracker fan app courts NAIA tourney crowds with AR experience
A new ShotTracker fan app — expected to launch today — will combine real-time analytics with augmented reality for a first-of-its-kind fan engagement opportunity at next week’s Division 1 NAIA basketball tournament, said co-founder Davyeon Ross. “We want to make the experience as great as possible for the end user,” Ross said, noting his company’s…
TechAccel, UC Davis lab developing wheat seed to combat climate change
A Kansas City-based tech and venture development firm hopes to engineer wheat seeds that produce higher yield by withstanding warmer temperatures. “We’re taking a concept that is pretty important for wheat worldwide,” said Brad Fabbri, Chief Science Officer of TechAccel. Increasing temperatures make growing wheat more difficult across the globe, studies show. Reports indicate climate…
Startup stakeholders: Opportunity zones could prompt culture shift on redevelopment
Startup community stakeholders think opportunity zones in some of Kansas City’s poorest areas could work, but only with collaboration between the government and private sector. A number of low-income communities in Kansas City are eligible for designation as opportunity zones — areas in which investors may defer paying capital gains taxes over a certain period…