By Rami Mansi
During an era where movement dominates humanity, this year’s eighth annual collaboration between TED Talk and CUNY (TEDxCUNY) reflects this fast-paced lifestyle through the theme of the upcoming 2025 conference: “Fast Track”.
TEDxCUNY is an annual conference that tackles some of the leading questions of our time. Since its first event in 2013, TEDxCUNY has remained stable in community growth and CUNY outreach as an independently organized source.
This year’s conference, which will be hosted at the Gerald W. Lynch Theater at John Jay College on Sunday, May 2, will address the fast-paced evolution of our society and how that energy will shape our future.
As stated in the official premise, “Speed can be a superpower, but we need to learn how to mobilize this engine of progress. The evolution of technology, business, science, and humanities is on the FAST TRACK, creating swift positive shifts to shape the future. But one question remains: will you be a driver of change?”
Lead student organizers of the conference conceptualized a variety of themes before deciding on FAST TRACK. Original options included themes such as “Illuminate”, “Reimagine”, and “Hyperlink”, all revolving around this sense of change, renewal, and growth through representation.
“With CUNY students, we are all passionate about doing different things, and one thing that we really value in [TEDxCUNY] speakers is reflecting that same diversity of passions on stage. Regardless of background, regardless of what your passion is, we’re hopeful that everyone can take away something,” Emily Madray, senior at John Jay and one of the lead organizers of TEDxCUNY, told The Vanguard.
When asked about what this year’s theme meant to her, Madray related the theme to the city.
“Everyone is always on the go, that’s just the culture of New York City; and a lot of sectors in the world right now are constantly on the move, constantly progressing and in a very fast way,” Madray stated. “So what really resonated with me was, how can we talk about how speed is so important in these fields?”
TEDxCUNY is not only a conference that features reputable guest speakers, but also a place where workshops occur regularly, as well as interactive performances to keep attendees engaged.
“We’re going to have performances from dancers; we have a magician this year. We also have a poetry slam performance as well […] We want to make sure that the audience is engaged and being interacted with throughout the day,” Madray stated.
The speakers are being announced on a timely schedule, with the first speaker being revealed to be a musician and the executive director of New York Jazz Academy, Javier Arav. When asked how bringing speakers like Arav brings TEDxCUNY forward in terms of representation and new perspectives, Madray stated that “diversity in thought” is the conference’s most powerful asset.
“One thing that we really want is this diversity of thought, how have these speakers used speed in their own sectors? Our biggest diversity is our diversity in background.”
TEDxCUNY’s outreach does not confine itself to the borders of CUNY campuses and students, but expands to build stronger community bonds within the city as a whole.
“Our speakers are coming from different backgrounds and walks of life and bringing together this wealth of knowledge. So [TEDxCUNY] is just trying to build together this city, that is all about hustle and bustle, and also foster community within our city as well,” she stated.
Madray took time to recognize TEDxCUNY’s impact on its respective colleges, expanding on the idea that this event was made to expand the borders of CUNY and its students.
“TEDxCUNY is by CUNY students, for CUNY students,” she stated.
Students interested in learning more about TEDxCUNY can visit their website www.tedxcuny.com or their Instagram @tedxcuny.