Correction: This article has been updated to reflect that the 2017 TEDxUF event was the eighth annual, not the fourth and that admission for the event was capped.
When Ahmed Shareef speaks English, his native Arabic tongue slips out, eliciting strange looks from peers.
It’s why the Kuwaiti-born UF student often hesitates when called upon to speak. That and being asked to repeat himself.
But as of Saturday, after attending TEDxUF and hearing how the assistant director of UF Multicultural and Diversity Affairs deals with being mocked for her Spanish accent, Shareef feels empowered to speak up.
“I learned to step up and speak, even if I don’t fully like my accent,” the 18-year-old said.
The UF English Learning Institute student was one of about 1,200 people who attended the eighth annual TEDxUF conference in the Phillips Center for the Performing Arts. The event featured nine speakers who gave TED-style presentations on topics ranging from the battle against mosquito-borne illnesses to the effects of street art on a community. The conference, which cost about $21,000 to produce, was free to the public, but it might not be next year, said Alex Touchton, the event’s curator.
Shareef, who emigrated from Kuwait to learn English last fall, said he related to Diana Moreno, who spoke about navigating identity in higher education.
The event’s theme was transparency, an abstract topic that could elicit all kinds of talks, Touchton said.
“The theme should be abstract so it’s never confining,” the UF chemistry and linguistics senior said.
Touchton said TEDxUF 2018 organizers might have to charge attendees for the event if they don’t get enough sponsors. This year’s event had fewer attendees than last year due to admission being capped, with about 1,600 people in the audience.
“I firmly believe that ideas should not cost money, but it’s really difficult for us to get sponsorships since we’re a student organization,” the 22-year-old said.
The event also had three dancing acts and a poetry performance, as well as an art exhibit and two activity rooms for people to share ideas.
A project called “Art in Progress,” where four UF students created a painting while hearing the talks, also took place at the conference.
Erin Cooper, a UF English senior, said she teared up during UF professor Ryan Duffy’s talk about gratitude.
Duffy, a UF psychology professor, shared a story about how his mom once thanked his deaf sister for giving her the ability to feel empathetic. He challenged the audience to thank those who might be going through a hard time, because they need it the most.
“When you think about it, it’s something everyone can do every day, but for whatever reason, we don’t,” Cooper, 21, said.
Chantel Cummings, a UF political science and history freshman, said her favorite talk was LB Hannahs’, a genderqueer parent who has to correct people about their identity in order to feel authentic.
“I’m a Christian, but it was interesting because I hold a different perspective,” the 18-year-old said.
Contact Jimena Tavel at jtavel@alligator.org and follow her on Twitter at @taveljimena
At the conference, four UF students from different art departments created a painting inspired by the talks. "It's relaxing," said Maddy Nave, a UF art junior with a specialization in print. "You just have to say yes to what everyone else is doing."
