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TedxYoungstown breaks boundaries
YOUNGSTOWN
Jamie Marich took her place at the red, round rug on stage of the dimly lit theater.
“How many of you have seen [the film] ‘My Big Fat Greek Wedding’?” she asked the audience of more than 230 people.
She mentioned a character from the film who traced any English word back to its Greek origin. She subtly slid into the word “trauma,” which derives from the Greek word meaning “wound.”
Marich, a clinical counselor at Mindful Ohio, was the first speaker for the second year of TEDx-Youngstown. The event took place Friday at Ford Theater in Bliss Hall at Youngstown State University.
TED — Technology, Entertainment and Design — started in the 1980s and continues as a series of conferences around the world. The “x” means the event is independently organized.
The event features 14 speakers from areas of human trafficking, bioethics, alternative protein, 3-D printing and sexual orientation. The theme of the event is about breaking boundaries.
“I loved the privilege of leading the event,” Marich said after her segment.
A YSU alumna, she talked about her experiences as an English teacher in Bosnia from 2000 to 2003 and how it led to a career in clinical counseling.
Another speaker at the event was Chris Jennings, an English teacher at Canfield High School, who also teaches journalism.
“[Speaking at TEDxYoungstown] is one of the coolest things I’ve ever done,” Jennings said.
Jennings grew up in Girard but now lives downtown. He spoke about how he used the journalism program to break the barriers between the city and the suburbs. Students in the program covered topics about Youngstown and the downtown area.
“We broke some boundaries there,” he said. “[For the students] it’s actually cool to go to Youngstown.”
Additionally, some speakers did more than just talking. In the third segment was Jason Alan, a professional magician. He said he had the option to talk about magic or perform.
“We decided to do both,” he said.
He started off his performance by instantly changing the outfit of his assistant and wife, Stacy, multiple times.
Alan became interested in magic when he was 13 and in California, where he encountered a homeless man perform a trick.
“It just caught my attention,” he said.
He focused on magic throughout his time as a student at YSU and made it a career by performing for audiences in venues such as cruise lines. Alan said he and his wife work as a two-person act, and they work together against the magician-and-assistant relationship stereotype.
Lorilyn Shandor, coordinator of the event, said the event had more than double the number of people in attendance compared with last year.
“It’s great growth for this event,” she said.
Ticket prices for the event were $75 each. Under the license from TED, that money goes only to the event’s production with any surplus saved for next year, Shandor said. “I feel great about this year.”
Among the spectators was Youngstown Mayor John McNally.
“I’ve been really thrilled about the topics,” he said. “It’s good for the university and good for the city.”