TEDxGCU members set tone for high school students

Aaron Smith of North Valley Christian Academy celebrates his team's win at Friday's TEDxGCU Catalyst event.

Photos by Ralph Freso / Slideshow

Canyon Challenge finalist Ainsley Ross wasn't always the confident speaker she is now.

“Have you ever been physically lost?” Ross asked a group of about 100 students from three high schools during the opening speech of Grand Canyon University’s TEDxGCU Catalyst workshop, designed to help boost high school students' public speaking skills.

Ross spoke with apprehension at the workshop, held on Friday at the Colangelo College of Business lobby. She shared how she had to switch from San Diego State University and enroll at GCU, moving in on the first day she ever set foot on campus as a freshman, and “surviving on Chick-fil-A” and friends.

Ainsley Ross (second from left) shared with high school students how she gained confidence as a speaker as part of the IDEA Club.

A steady transformation included spending her sophomore year as an exchange student in Italy, playing intramurals, joining GCU’s Women in Business Club and becoming a mentor, and joining the IDEA Club, where she gained the confidence she needed to speak about her Wakeshare AIRBNB boat business.

The IDEA Club is “where everything changed me,” Ross said.

Ross received rousing applause from the students, who later showed their own confidence in formulating their speeches.

Forty TEDxGCU members worked with students from Cactus High School, Peoria High MET Professional Academy and North Valley Christian Academy on how to deliver a TED talk.

The students split into 10 groups, each of which worked on choosing and presenting an effective theme.

Graduate student assistant Connor Vicary, former IDEA Club president, showcased GCU’s entrepreneurship program to high school students, and Colangelo College of Business Program Development Specialist Steve Thomas gave the teachers a tour of the college.

The workshop has been such a hit that about 45 students from other high schools were turned down because the event reached its seating capacity, said Dr. Cori Araza, senior project director for Grand Canyon University's K12 Services and Solutions.

Benji Gomes, TEDxGCU president, listens to ideas from a group about their presentation topic during the TEDxGCU Catalyst event.

“It’s so influential for these kids to come to these events,” said Justin Davis, an engineering instructor at MET Academy. “I found it so beneficial for these kids in their preparation for presentation, understanding a throughline – that’s any presentation. You've got to stay on track of what you’re trying to get across – and then presentation skills. Plain and simple.”

Before the workshop started, students toured the Technology Building, which houses several STEM programs.

“I think it’s incredibly important because TEDx stands for technology, entertainment and design,” Araza said. “In the future, I’d love to get them to the College of Arts and Media to look at the design program. But Building 57, the Technology Building, has a lot of design incorporated into it, from our VR Lab to our Cyber Center of Excellence to our Worship Arts studio. There’s a lot of design and entertainment elements, and obviously the technology.”

Luke Fisher and Julie Lego, TEDxGCU’s co-directors of operations, agreed that GCU offers so much in the STEM realm.

Luke Fisher and Julie Lego, TEDxGCU co-directors of operations, help participants find their breakout groups.

“There’s a lot of technology here,” Fisher said.

Added Lego, “We want to show the students what we experience here, and the (student) life.”

Benji Garcia, TEDxGCU president, hoped that the high school students would return to their homes and schools “with a new sense of confidence and ability to know they can talk in front of others and their peers without feeling insecure or scared.”

Peoria Unified School District’s MET Academy engineering instructor Justin Davis discusses his team’s topic presentation.

That seemed evident by each of the 10 presenters who spoke on behalf of their groups on topics ranging from being “Hangry” (hungry and angry), to “The Cost of a Dream” (a top athlete gaining knowledge returning from an injury), to “The Importance of Learning a Second Language,” and “Who Do You Look Up To?”

The winner, chosen by QR code vote, was “Social Media Shortens Attention Spans.”

Aaron Smith (left) and his team from North Valley Christian Academy were the winners of the TEDxGCU Catalyst event.

“We were talking about themes and brainstorming, and we were trying to think about something that was relevant to everyone, and social media is popular,” said Adam Smith, a freshman who spoke on behalf of his winning group from North Valley Christian Academy.

From seeing the Esports room to speaking, Smith enjoyed his time at GCU.

“It’s a nice campus,” he said.

GCU News senior writer Mark Gonzales can be reached at [email protected]

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GCU News: Contentment, communication, confidence highlight TEDxGCU event

GCU News: TEDx program encourages prep freshmen to speak up

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