TEDxSyracuse University

Speakers

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

• Adam Peruta

  Adam Peruta is an Associate Professor at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University, where he also serves as Program Director of the M.S. in Advanced Media Management. His work sits at the intersection of media, technology, and business, focusing on how emerging technologies, especially artificial intelligence, are reshaping communication, creativity, and decision-making. He has played a key role in developing a new curriculum in AI and emerging media at Newhouse. A recognized speaker on generative AI and the future of media, Adam works with students, organizations, and industry leaders to better understand both the opportunities and the risks of rapidly evolving digital systems. His work emphasizes a practical approach to AI literacy — helping people build the judgment and habits needed to navigate a world where content can be created instantly, at scale, and with remarkable realism. His research and teaching explore not just what these tools can do, but how they are changing the way we trust, create, and connect.

• Alhassan Bangura

  Alhassan Bangura is a senior at Syracuse University, majoring in Political Science with a concentration in Political Economy. Born and raised in Hyde Park, Boston, he has spent his time at SU focusing on leadership, strategy, and the power of communication. During his time on campus, Alhassan has held a plethora of leadership roles across multiple student organizations, including multiple presidential positions, where he has led teams, coordinated initiatives, and played a role in shaping student engagement across campus. His work sits at the intersection of leadership, institutional communication, and diverse experiences, focusing on how ideas, narratives, and strategy influence the way organizations operate and connect with people. Alhassan spent his final semester in the Maxwell D.C. program, where he interned with the Governmental Affairs team for Syracuse University, gaining firsthand experience on federal policy, as well as its specific effect on Higher Education.

• Kylee McGrane

  Kylee McGrane-Zarnoch is leading more than a movement. It’s the beginning of a more human, hopeful, and heartfelt approach to care. Her work reimagines what healing looks like — blending the power of play, mental health education, and community care to support children and families when they need it most. She is the Founder and Executive Director of A Moment of Magic, a national nonprofit she started in her college dorm room in 2014 with a single hospital visit and a princess dress. What began as one moment of connection has grown into a nationwide network of college student volunteers supporting medically vulnerable children, reaching more than 185,000 children across hundreds of hospitals and community partners nationwide. At A Moment of Magic, the mission is to harness the power of play to bring joy, foster connection, and support mental health healing for chronically ill children and their families. Through this work, Kylee is helping to redefine care, ensuring that even in the most clinical environments, children are seen not just as patients, but as whole people. Her work sits at the intersection of mental health, health equity, and innovation. A speaker, author, and Clinton Global Initiative Fellow, Kylee has been recognized nationally for her work advancing trauma-informed care and expanding access to emotional support in pediatric medicine. Outside of her work, Kylee is a storyteller at heart: someone who finds inspiration in music, travel, and the small, meaningful moments that connect people to one another. She lives in New York City with her husband and their dog, and brings that same sense of wonder and belief in possibility into everything she creates. At the heart of her work is a simple belief: that even in life’s hardest moments, every person deserves to feel joy, dignity, and a little bit of magic.

• Kylie Martin

  Kylie Martin is a dedicated storyteller who works at the intersection of film and marketing, specializing in video editing and visual narrative design. She is a driven leader who thrives behind the scenes in post-production, approaching visuals from both a creative and analytical perspective. As both a creator and a fan of content, she designs her work with the audience in mind first, using innovative practices to amplify the connection and emotion audiences experience through media.

• Michael Nedrick

  Michael Wade Nedrick was born in Brooklyn, New York and raised in Flatbush by Jamaican parents. Growing up in a Caribbean household, education was at the top of the priority and Michael often found himself having to balance his interests in sports, music, fashion and dance. Although, he was a student-athlete at Midwood H.S. Michael had dreams to attend Syracuse University even as a Freshman, however his journey to this campus would be rather unique in nature and not by way of an athletic scholarship. Unable to afford Syracuse after graduating H.S. due to lack of being awarded financial aid, Michael attended and graduated from SUNY Oswego with a B.A. in Mass Communications & Broadcasting. While there, Michael would become a brother of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated, which would open the door to connections with nearby brothers, here at Syracuse University. As a natural communicator, Michael would tour all of the campuses in the tri-state area throughout and after his undergraduate studies which would eventually land him an opportunity to host a show for Interactive One called ‘CasBar’ found online. It was here that Michael’s career would shift from an M.C. to an on-camera, digital media personality.

• Monica Jacobs

  Monica is a third-year Applied Data Analytics student at Syracuse University's iSchool, but that title only scratches the surface.She spends my time running and operating my business, NailedbyMolils, where she offers nail services to students in the Syracuse community. In addition to being a full-time student and entrepreneur, she is an Emerging Technology Intern at Synchrony Financial, where she helps expand their AI field, while ensuring the protection of the data of all employees and customers impacted.

• Sean Kirst

  Sean Kirst, journalist-in-residence at Le Moyne College and a columnist with The Central Current in Syracuse, has worked as an Upstate journalist for more than 50 years. He is the recipient of the Ernie Pyle Award - given annually to one American journalist for writing about the dreams and struggles of everyday people - as well as many other state and national awards. He is the recipient of the Ernie Pyle Award, given annually to one American journalist for writing about the dreams and struggles of everyday people. Kirst, was named a civic Wisdom Keeper by FOCUS Greater Syracuse and his name was placed on a Wall of Distinction by the Syracuse Press Club for lifetime achievement in journalism. He has been honored by the federal Department of Justice for sensitivity to victims of violent crime. He received honorary degrees from Le Moyne and Onondaga Community College. Over the years, Kirst has given many talks about the importance of storytelling in journalism, especially in a fast-changing digital age. This will be his third TEDx talk. He is the author of three books, and the England-based Tolkien Society credits Kirst with serving as founder of international Tolkien Reading Day, now celebrated around the world.

• Sofia Gonzalez

  Sofia Gonzalez is an award-winning educator, international speaker, and leading voice in urban education and the Latino community in Chicagoland. With more than 20 years advancing education equity, she bridges systems design and classroom practice, centering racial justice and the belief that schools must be sites of healing, representation, and expansion for historically marginalized communities. A Fulbright Scholar to India through the U.S. Department of State’s Teachers for Global Classrooms program and a World Learning Fellow to Argentina, Sofia has advanced cross-cultural learning and engaged with U.S. Embassy leaders on global education and diplomacy. She was the lead visionary of non-profit Project 214 in honor of her first classroom—Room 214. Now a passion project and LULAC scholarship fund, it supported students and teachers across the U.S., Puerto Rico, and Central America. A multi-award-winning educator, she was named 2019 National Teacher of the Year by the National Society of High School Scholars. She currently serves as Vice President of Illinois LULAC Council 5238, the country’s oldest Hispanic advocacy organization, and is an Advance Illinois Fellow focusing on multilingual learners and a diverse teacher pipeline. She is also a national Fellow Alum with EdSurge, Latinos for Education, Urban Leaders Fellowship, Storytellers for Change, and ISTE’s Generation AI Cohort powered by Google. In response to Chicago violence and school shootings, she serves as Teacher Ambassador with Teachers Unify to End Gun Violence, founded by Sandy Hook and Stoneman Douglas survivors. In her 17th year of teaching English at Morton East High School in her home community, she serves a diverse student body largely composed of first-generation students from immigrant families, whom she fiercely advocates for. Sofia holds a B.A. in English from Concordia University Chicago, a Master’s in Secondary Education from the University of Phoenix Online, and a dual Master’s from Saint Xavier University Chicago in Reading Curriculum & Instruction. Her unwavering passion and steadfast commitment to justice in education are the legacy she hopes to leave on this earth. In a moment when the American education system feels fractured—by grief, burnout, inequity, and loss—she invites the audience to ask a deeper question: What matters next when the system we relied on can no longer hold us?