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, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. 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).

Ford Center for the Performing Arts
351 University Address
University, Mississippi, 38677
United States

Areesha Razi

Areesha Razi is a high school senior at Ocean Springs High School. She is apart of the Ocean Springs Wind Symphony as Principal Horn and has performed at the American Band Master Association and the College Band Directors National Association. Although Areesha has spent the majority of her life in the United States, she spent the first three years of her life in Karachi, Pakistan. She is graduating with High Honors and will be attending the University of Florida this upcoming fall and majoring in Psychology and Behavioral Neuroscience for her goal to become a physician and specialize in surgery.

Beth Ann Fennelly

Beth Ann Fennelly, Poet Laureate of Mississippi, teaches in the MFA Program at the University of Mississippi, where she was named Outstanding Teacher of the Year. She’s won grants from the N.E.A., the United States Artists, and a Fulbright to Brazil. Her work has won a Pushcart Prize and three times been included in The Best American Poetry Series. Fennelly has published three poetry books: Open House, Tender Hooks, and Unmentionables, and a book of nonfiction, Great with Child, all published with W. W. Norton. A novel she co-authored with her husband, Tom Franklin, called The Tilted World was published by HarperCollins. Her sixth book, Heating & Cooling: 52 Micro-memoirs, recently published by W. W. Norton, was named an Atlanta Journal Constitution Best Book of 2017 and a Goodreaders Favorite for 2017. Fennelly and Franklin live in Oxford with their three children.

Carolyn Freiwald

Carolyn Freiwald is an archaeologist who studies ancient migration across the Americas, from Maya kings and queens, to buccaneers off the coast of Belize and rural farmers in Mississippi. Proud to be the granddaughter of German immigrants, she also is a ‘mover’ between Wisconsin, Mississippi, and Latin America every year. She is an associated professor in the department of sociology and anthropology and was awarded the College of Liberal Arts New Scholar Award in 2019 and traveled to Japan, Canada, France, and Belize in 2019 to share what stories from the past can teach us about people, why they move, and what migration means today.

Donald R. Guillory

Donald R Guillory is Doctoral student at the University of Mississippi whose focus is on race, gender, and identity in the history of the U.S. and Latin America. A graduate of Georgia Southern University, he earned his Bachelor of Arts in International Studies and History, and Master of Arts in History. After serving in the U.S. Army, Don attended Arizona State University where he earned his master's degrees in education and liberal studies, focusing on the role that film and television play in shaping our perspectives about culture and gender. He is also the author of "The Token Black Guide," which discusses and examines experiences and perspectives (historical and personal) on race in America. Don is the Co-host of TheNecronomi.com, a podcast discussing the social commentary in horror. His first two novels (Bastards of the Bayou, and Magnolia Lane) are slated for release in 2020.

Fernando Arroyo Lopez

Fernando Arroyo is the founder, developer, and CEO of a sustainable boutique hotel in the heart of Mexico, and co-owner of a traditional Mexican cuisine restaurant. Economist as his undergraduate academic formation, he developed an interest in social development, poverty, and inequality. As a master's in management he developed an interest in family businesses and hotel management. Actually, as a doctoral student in the Department of Nutrition and Hospitality Management at the University of Mississippi, he is developing a passion to research hospitality design and development in a sustainable way through the use of research, science, and technology. He also works as a Graduate Assistant in the Institute of Child Nutrition, where he learns and practices national public policy in the United States. He hopes for better, just, and developed communities through responsible tourism and good public policies.

Hannah Gadd Ardrey

Hannah Gadd Ardrey is in her fifth year of teaching music history and choir to 6th through 12th grade students from diverse backgrounds and various learning abilities at Lafayette Middle School and Lafayette High School. As a teacher in a rural public school district in Oxford, Mississippi, Ardrey is passionate about providing students opportunities to make interdisciplinary connections, develop real-world skills, and change the world around them with music. In 2018, Ardrey partnered with elementary special education teachers in her district to create the More than Music program - a student-led music class for elementary age special education students. Since beginning her teaching career in 2015, Ardrey has grown the choral program from 60 to 130 students. Fine arts provide outlets for students to lead and cultivate a climate for growth and acceptance amongst peers and in the community. As the 2019-2020 Mississippi Teacher of the Year, Mrs. Gadd Ardrey promotes her belief that M.U.S.I.C can Motivate, Understand, and Sculpt Independent Citizens. She participates in the mentor program for the Lafayette County School District and serves on the Mississippi Teacher Council. Ardrey received a Bachelor of Music in 2013 and a Master of Music in choral conducting in 2015, both from the University of Mississippi.

Muriel Collins

Muriel Collins, a Union, Mississippi native, is a first year law student at the University of Mississippi School of Law. She graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in Political Science from Mississippi College. While attending Mississippi College, Muriel was inducted into Alpha Chi National College Honor Society and Pi Sigma Alpha National Political Science Honor Society. She was chosen to present to the Mississippi Communications Association as an Undergraduate Panel Speaker in 2017. During her senior year, she received the 2018-2019 Outstanding Student in Pre-Law Award. Muriel interned for Congressman Steven Palazzo and worked on the campaign staff for Mississippi Attorney General candidate Mark Baker. After completing law school, Muriel would like to lobby in Washington, D.C. She hopes to encourage and propel more women to get involved in American politics.

Ruth Sherman

Ruth Sherman, M.A., works with global CEOs, public figures, and international celebrities looking to have a greater impact in their public communications. Five of her clients have won Oscars and one the Pulitzer Prize. A former commercial singer and announcer, her voice was heard around the world for hundreds of clients including Coke, McDonald’s and Ford. Now a leading authority on presidential candidate communication, she is widely quoted in the press including the New York Times, Washington Post, and TIME, among many others, contending the best communicator and connector wins. Ruth’s most recent book is SPEAKRETS®: The 30 Best, Most Effective, Most Overlooked Marketing & Personal Branding Essentials. As a speaker, she has been engaged to share her insights by organizations such as Google, Microsoft, and NBC Universal. Ruth lives in Greenwich, CT and is a lifelong NYC Metro resident. The mother of two and brand-new grandmother (known as Gaga), she is thrilled to visit MS for the first time!

Stephen Fafulas

Stephen Fafulas is Assistant Professor of Spanish and Linguistics in the Department of Modern Languages at the University of Mississippi. In his courses, Dr. Fafulas trains students to observe linguistic phenomena through interdisciplinary perspectives and inspires them to excel in their careers. Currently, Dr. Fafulas is director of the Study of Communities, Involvement & Outreach and Linguistics Laboratory (SoCIOLing) where he mentors students conducting community-engaged research on Spanish in the U.S. South. Dr. Fafulas’s research has appeared in numerous peer-reviewed journals and been funded by the National Science Foundation. Dr. Fafulas has collaborated with key stakeholders in developing dual-language immersion programs to incorporate bilingual and bicultural education in the curriculum of K-5 schools. When not in the classroom or lab, you are likely to find him with his family, at the martial arts academy, or at a local coffee shop.

Warrick Bishop

Doctor Warrick Bishop is a practicing cardiologist, best selling author, and keynote speaker and who has a passion to help prevent heart disease on a global scale. Warrick graduated from the University of Tasmania, School of Medicine, in 1988. He completed his advanced training in cardiology in Hobart, Tasmania, becoming a fellow of the Royal Australian College of Physicians. It became clear to Warrick the more precise we can be in the information we have in regard to a patients heart health and real risk of heart attack, the better we can look after that person, it seems so obvious when you say it like that, but that opportunity is still only new and not broadly utilized in the medical community.