TEDxBates College

Speakers

Speakers may not be confirmed. Check the event website for the latest lineup.

• Benjamin Wolking

  Benjamin Wolking is a Bates College athlete and engineering student who had to learn how to live and compete in the face of radical uncertainty following a series of life-threatening cardiac events in college. With the future unclear, he adopted a mindset he now calls “delusional belief”: a deliberate, bounded conviction that prioritizes possibility over probability. In his TEDx talk, he reveals the framework and science behind this practice. He shows how, when used responsibly, irrational belief can become a rational strategy for facing uncertainty and finding meaning within it."

• Elisabeth Marnik

  Dr. Elisabeth Marnik is a scientist, educator, and public communicator passionate about bridging divides around science. Raised in an anti-science household before earning her PhD, Elisabeth brings a unique perspective to her talk: Can we celebrate our differences and still find common ground? As Director of Science Education at MDIBL and Chief Scientific Officer of Those Nerdy Girls, she reframes science not as a source of division, but as a shared human endeavor for connection and curiosity.

• Hazel Glazer

  Hazel Glazer, an English and Environmental Studies major at Bates, brings both scholarship and lived experience to her exploration of grief. Having previously given a TEDx talk in high school, Hazel returns to the stage with a deeply personal reflection: What is anticipatory grief, and why does it matter? A talk that reveals the unasked questions of mourning the living and how acknowledging anticipatory grief transforms the way we value each moment.

• Joey Pinz

  Joey Pinz is a podcaster, author, tech founder, entrepreneur and behavior design educator whose work has reached global audiences. After losing 130 pounds and transforming his life, he founded the Joey Pinz podcast and coaching practice dedicated to discipline and growth. At TEDx Bates College, Joey will challenge the conventional wisdom around willpower, introducing a new system-based approach: Discipline isn’t about being tougher, it’s about being intentional. His talk invites audiences to design lives that support their goals without relying on fading motivation.

• Mohamed Al-jabry

  Mohamed Al-Jabry is a Bates College student, debater, and founder of the Al-Jabry Education Initiative in Tanzania, where he empowers students to think critically and speak with conviction. From UWC stages to Singapore conferences, his journey has been defined by daring to voice the questions that often go unspoken. His TEDx talk will share unseen perspectives that prompt the audience to consider questions rarely asked. With a gift for framing ideas that challenge assumptions, Mohamed’s reflections highlight the richness of being open to the unknown and unspoken.

• Nur Aga Rajaie

  Nur Aga Rajaie is a Bates College student passionate about exploring the power of human connection across differences. Drawing from personal experiences, Nur will take the stage to ask: Can we celebrate our differences and still find common ground? With a history of public speaking and a deep personal journey shaping her perspective, she invites the audience to reflect on how curiosity and empathy can bridge divides that often feel unconquerable.

• Shubhra Sharma

  Dr. Shubhra Sharma is an entrepreneur, Faculty Lecturer at Lacy School of Business, Butler University, Indianapolis, IN, and an advocate for women’s empowerment. She has worked in marginalized regions of India, helping women reclaim land, cross caste lines, and enter male-dominated trades. In the U.S., she has designed programs at premier undergraduate institutions, transforming educational frameworks through gender studies and community engagement. She is also the founder of Cria, an organic hair care system for women in menopause. Across these experiences, she has seen how women navigate societal pressures and reclaim their agency. At TEDxBates College, Dr. Sharma reframes aloneness, not solitude or loneliness, but a radical act of self-alignment, as a source of healing, clarity, and power.