For Immediate Release / April 2, 2017

Media contact: Kush Nayak, 513-204-9394,

Annual TEDx Event Aims

To Shine LightOn New Ideas

Public Invited to Hear Inspiring Speakers on April 6 at Xavier

Four innovators from diverse fields, including an architect and psychologist,will be the featured speakersat Xavier University’s sixth annual TEDx event on Thursday, April 6.

They will share ideas about “luminescence,” a twinkle, light or vision that reveals something new or provides guidance and a path forward.

“The intent is to challenge the way people think by exposing them to new ideas, moving them to purposeful action,” said Kush Nayak, president of TEDx Xavier, which is organizing the event.

The two-hour event will start at 6 p.m. in Kennedy Auditorium at Xavier’s Conaton Learning Commons. Tickets are $20 for the public and $5 for Xavier students, faculty and staff. Tickets can be bought at the door or online at

The speakers and their topics:

  • Ryan Niemiec is a leading figure in the education, research and practice of character strengths in humans. He is the education director of the VIA Institute on Character, a Cincinnati-based nonprofit that advances the latest science and practical applications of character strengths.His talk is entitled, “A Universal Language that Describes What’s Best in Us.”
  • Angela Mazzi, a senior associate and medical planner at GBBN Architects, will talk about "Building Wellness." She has done research linking wellness to design.
  • Zach Huhnis chair of Venture Strategy Partners, a think tank dedicated to supporting innovations that benefit communities, specifically those focused on connectivity, mobility, security and sustainability. His speech is called "Smart Cities: A Paradigm Shift."
  • Taylor Zachary was named one of eight Winter-Cohen Brueggeman Fellows during the 2016-17 academic year at Xavier to study the history of black athlete activism in South Africa under apartheid. He is a sociology major.Last spring, Xavier named me one of eight, in a pool of 6,000 students, to serve as a 2016-2017 Winter – Cohen Brueggeman Fellow. Honored, I was asked to develop a research question and select a country in which to carry out my proposed research. Considering the current political moment, I developed a progressive conceptual framework to study the history of Black athlete activism in Apartheid South Africa.
    Black athletes have proven their political, social and economic power; however, no current research examines the diasporic nature of this power. How might an international network of socially engaged athletes be a dormant catalyst to evolutionary social change, not just in America, but globally? This question not only clarifies my study but the implications of this question manifest my goal.
    This summer, I will hold residence in Johannesburg, conducting grassroots research throughout the cities and townships in South Africa. In these three months, I will build community with students, athletes and scholars, all committed to an evolutionary vision for the liberation of oppressed peoples across the world.
    However, I cannot do this without proper funding.
    I write you today requesting sponsorship. Currently, I have been awarded two-thirds of a $6,000 funding goal. Your sponsorship not only provides me with resources for international travel, housing and food but assures that I will leave the United States with the ability to acquire all necessary research materials to truly develop a comprehensive vision for the future of Black athlete activism. I ask for a minimum donation of $100. Anything beyond is appreciated.
    I would love to further discuss my research with you. If additional information is required or you are interested in formalizing a conversation, please do not hesitate to contact me by phone or emailHis talk is entitled, “An Athlete's Vision for Liberation."Last spring, Xavier named me one of eight, in a pool of 6,000 students, to serve as a 2016-2017 Winter – Cohen Brueggeman Fellow. Honored, I was asked to develop a research question and select a country in which to carry out my proposed research. Considering the current political moment, I developed a progressive conceptual framework to study the history of Black athlete activism in Apartheid South Africa.
    Black athletes have proven their political, social and economic power; however, no current research examines the diasporic nature of this power. How might an international network of socially engaged athletes be a dormant catalyst to evolutionary social change, not just in America, but globally? This question not only clarifies my study but the implications of this question manifest my goal.
    This summer, I will hold residence in Johannesburg, conducting grassroots research throughout the cities and townships in South Africa. In these three months, I will build community with students, athletes and scholars, all committed to an evolutionary vision for the liberation of oppressed peoples across the world.
    However, I cannot do this without proper funding.
    I write you today requesting sponsorship. Currently, I have been awarded two-thirds of a $6,000 funding goal. Your sponsorship not only provides me with resources for international travel, housing and food but assures that I will leave the United States with the ability to acquire all necessary research materials to truly develop a comprehensive vision for the future of Black athlete activism. I ask for a minimum donation of $100. Anything beyond is appreciated.
    I would love to further discuss my research with you. If additional information is required or you are interested in formalizing a conversation, please do not hesitate to contact me by phone or email

Xavier student Hannah Sheppard, who is majoring in communication studies, theater and strategic human resource management, will moderate the event.

TEDx Xavier University is a student-organized event licensed by TED, a nonprofit devoted to spreading ideas, usually in the form of short, powerful talks of 18 minutes or less. TED began in 1984 as a conference where technology, entertainment and design (TED) converged. Today, it covers a broad range of topics.

Independently run TEDx events, like the one at Xavier, help share ideas in communities around the world. TEDx Xavier seeks to connect Xavier students, administrators, organizations and the Greater Cincinnati community to ideas worth spreading – to encourage positive change by bringing in speakers from inside and outside Xavier.

This year’s event is funded with a Xavier University Women of Excellence Grant, which helps to fund special projects to further Xavier’s mission to engage and form students intellectually, morally and spiritually, with rigor and compassion, toward lives of solidarity, service and success.

Food from the Taste of Belgium restaurant in Clifton will be served.

More information about the event is available from Margot Bond at or

Xavier students are invited to join TEDx. For more information, visit or contact Kush Nayak at 513-204-9394 or .

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Xavier University is a private university located in Cincinnati, Ohio, providing a liberal arts education in the

Catholic, Jesuit tradition. Founded in 1831, the university is the sixth-oldest Catholic university in the nation.

U.S. News & World Report ranks it No.4 among master’s-level universities in the Midwest and The Princeton Review

names it as one of the “Best 377 Colleges in America.”