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).

Mountainlair Gluck Theater
1550 University Ave
Morgantown, West Virginia, 26506
United States

Amy Yip

Life Transformation & Mental Fitness Coach

Amy Yip is a Life Transformation & Mental Fitness coach, self-confidence trainer, speaker, and author of award-winning, Unfinished Business: Breaking Down the Great Wall Between Adult Child and Immigrant Parents. Amy received her BS-computer science, BA-communications, and two minors from UMD; all within 4.5-years while working to pay for school. She later received her MBA from UCLA and attained three coaching certifications. Her 16-year corporate career took her from building and leading global teams at Booz Allen, Clorox, then Google. Despite this, Amy never felt ‘enough’ for her parents and found herself constantly running away from the relationship. Today, Amy works with women of color to strengthen their mental fitness, heal intergenerational wounds, and have agency to let go of ‘shoulds’ and be authors of their own life stories.

Meshea Poore

Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer

The Honorable Meshea Poore is an accomplished motivational speaker, practicing attorney, executive leader, former elected official, public and political leadership consultant, and strategist. In 2017, Meshea Poore was installed as president of the West Virginia State Bar, becoming the first African American woman to hold this position since its 1947 inception. She earned her bachelor's degree from Howard University in Washington, D.C., and her law degree from Southern University Law Center in Baton Rouge, LA. She is an alum of the prestigious German Marshall Memorial Fellowship program and is a Yale University Women's Campaign School graduate. Meshea currently serves as the Vice President for the Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at WVU, is a former adjunct professor at West Virginia State University, serves as faculty in residency at the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University, and holds teaching privileges at the College of Law at WVU.

Noemi Borsay Hall Ph.D.

Epidemiologist

Noemi Borsay Hall, PhD, earned her BS in Mathematics at West Virginia University and her PhD in Epidemiology and Biostatistics from Case Western Reserve University. Noemi has had a wide range of experiences working in public health epidemiology and surveillance, including work on Zika-associated birth defects in Texas, Ebola in Guinea and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and COVID-19 across the US. Since moving back to Morgantown, WV and joining the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health as an epidemiologist in 2018, she has focused primarily on the respiratory health of coal miners. As coal miners move mountains to keep the lights on, Noemi plans to shift perceptions of what it means to be a coal miner, shedding light on the struggles and triumphs of women working in mining. Her talk will inspire anyone who may identify as an outsider, looking for a sense of belonging and hope.

Petal Palmer

Student

Petal Palmer is a senior pre-med student majoring in Exercise Physiology at West Virginia University. From Toronto, ON, Canada, she began her studies at WVU in Fall 2020 as an athlete on the Track and XC team. Petal has competed at the NCAA National XC and Big 12 Conference championships, served as a member on the Student Athlete Advisory Council and represented the school at the Black Student Athlete Summit while having a 4.0 GPA. After being diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in August 2022, just one week after starting Junior year, she has been especially passionate about ‘Moving Mountains’ within oneself. In her talk, she discusses the phenomenon of ‘cancer ghosting’ and how the experiences she’s faced during cancer treatment has helped her recognize the importance of living in one’s truth and not trying to please others. She is a big patient advocate, highlighting the importance of sharing stories - which she shares in her YouTube channel of 120,000+ subscribers.