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The Art of Noticing
What happens when a doctor trades his stethoscope for a camera? Photodocumentarian Tony Menias reveals how slowing down transforms the way we see ourselves and each other. From medical missions to National Geographic, his decade-long journey captures life's hidden rhythms and our shared humanity. Through stunning imagery and raw reflection, Tony shows how everyday moments become visual poetry when we pause to truly notice. This talk invites you to witness the divine connections that surround us daily—teaching that when we see with our hearts, not just our eyes, strangers become family and chaos becomes peace.
How Youth Lead Peacekeeping
After being surrounded by gang violence and losing a friend because of it, Monse Ayala discovered three essential needs that are lacking in vulnerable communities – community, stability, and recognition. Through intimate stories of loss and transformation, she reveals how meeting these core needs can break cycles of violence.
The Playbook for Creating Lasting Change
Mike Strautmanis has been engaging Chicagoans and stakeholders all over the country to learn how to create systemic impact to empower young leaders to give back to their communities and increase access to economic opportunity. He not only shares his story, but also how we can make a difference on each other and influence the next generation of leaders.
The Power of Choosing Yourself
A fireside chat featuring Deepti Vempati. Deepti is a speaker, author, entrepreneur, social influencer, and reality TV star best known for her leading role on Season 2 of the Netflix dating show, Love Is Blind. Born in India and immigrating to the USA when she was a child, Deepti has been on a lifelong quest to embrace her identity as both a South Asian and Chicagoan woman. In this talk, Deepti will discuss what it truly means to find your voice and choose yourself first. She hopes to inspire others to recognize that at the end of the day the most important relationship you can have is with yourself.
The moderator of the chat is Snigdha Sur, the Founder and CEO of The Juggernaut, a media company dedicated to telling South Asian stories.
Honoring Indigenous Cultures and Histories
What happens to human beings when their culture and history are systematically erased? In this powerful account, psychology PhD candidate Jill Fish tells her story growing up as a Tuscarora woman in a world that fails to accurately acknowledge indigenous peoples’ cultures and histories. Integrating psychological theory and research with her personal and collective stories as a Tuscarora woman, Fish demonstrates the critical need to pay attention to the role culture and history plays in the present day lives of indigenous peoples through her model of human development – forcing individuals to see the legacy of settler colonialism and challenging them to do something about it.