By Dinorah Prevost
Albert Moreno was asked to speak at TEDxUSFSP for the past few years, but he was too busy to prepare for it. He was working as chair of the Student Government appropriations committee at the time.
Now a graduate student, he is pursuing a master’s degree in liberal arts with a focus on creating a prison education course highlighting the voices of those who are imprisoned.
He’s also drafting legislation and preparing to present it to the Florida Department of Corrections. It aims to spur rehabilitation for convicted felons and help prevent them from going back to prison.
Much of that will be the subject of his upcoming TEDx talk.
TEDxUSFSP started in 2015. The event was brought over from the Tampa campus, which hosted its own TEDx event.
Presenters were picked by a committee of students and staff, which narrowed 30 applicants to six. This year’s theme is “finding your voice.”
One of those presenters is Jess Marion, a legally blind athlete, author, avid CrossFitter and Spartan Race participant. Marion trains social workers, therapists and other professionals in communication skills, hypnosis, and mastering the “inner game.”
In her free time, she is an advocate for the visually impaired community and a frequent contributor to TheMighty.com, a website which describes itself as “a safe, supportive community for people facing health challenges and the people who care for them.”
Alexandria Bishop is another student speaker. The freshman biology major released her first e-book in February, “Cheeseburgers, Calculus, and a Guardian Angel.” She said she talks about how mental health issues have impacted her and how she managed to thrive through some of the darkest times.
Another presenter is Tristen Johnson, assistant director of the Office of Multicultural Affairs, who advocates for social justice. Her research interest is black women professionals in higher education.
Moriah Barnhart, a local mother, is also presenting. The co-founder of CannaMoms began advocating for cannabis in 2013 when her daughter was diagnosed with brain cancer at 2 years old. Barnhart helped start CannaMoms in 2014, a nonprofit that advocates change for state and federal cannabis laws.
An alumna is also speaking at the event. Mirela Setkic, founder and chief marketing officer at Kapok Marketing in St. Petersburg, is an immigrant and refugee of the Bosnian War. She arrived in St. Petersburg in 1996. She also co-hosts “Kickin’ it with Kapok,” a podcast about business stories and marketing advice.
The TEDx event will be held at 5:30 p.m April 11. Ticket applications can be found at usfsp.edu/tedx. If you don’t receive one of the 100 tickets, it will be streamed downstairs to the Bullseye in the Reef. Previous years’ talks are posted to the TEDx Talks YouTube page.
