Theme: The World is Mine

TEDxWestBrowardHigh is an event of distinction. The line up of "TEDx Talkers" truly embody forward thinking and have great "ideas worth spreading." As this is the inaugural TEDx event at West Broward High, the theme of "The World Is Mine" will be brought to life by a tremendous list of TEDx Talkers who each have extraordinary stories to tell!

West Broward High School
500 NW 209th Ave
Pembroke Pines, Florida, 33029
United States

Aime Kalangwa

Aime, a graduate of West Broward High School, was born in the Democratic Republic of Congo. When conflict and violence arose in his village in 2007, Aime’s family was killed and he and one of his younger brothers were the only survivors. He was homeless for two years, until he received assistance from the UNHCR and other local organizations. While homeless, Aime met a group of other refugee children who rapidly became his family. Aime has been assisting these children and many more who have been rescued from the streets on his own since his arrival to the U.S. He is the co-founder of Every Day Hope Project which is an organization that strives to provide refugee orphan children with a loving home and a promising future.

Aloe Blacc

Singer/Songwriter/Artivist

Grammy Nominated Aloe Blacc released his major-label debut album “Lift Your Spirit” in 2014 on XIX Recordings/Interscope Records where it debuted at #4 on the Billboard Top 200 chart. The set follows Blacc’s collaboration as vocalist and co-writer on well-known DJ/producer Avicii’s track “Wake Me Up,” a song that topped the charts in more than 100 countries and is Spotify’s most streamed song to date. Blacc’s single “The Man” topped the charts and with more than 2.4 million singles sold. In 2014, Blacc also made his acting debut in “Get On Up,” the James Brown biopic.

Bomani Jones

Sports Journalist/ESPN Personality

Bomani Jones is a sports journalist who is currently employed by ESPN. He is the co-host of Highly Questionable with Dan Le Betard which airs daily on ESPN and is also a regular panelist on Around the Horn. Jones also hosts The Right Time with Bomani Jones, which airs four nights a week at 9:00 pm Eastern on ESPN Radio. He has also written for SB Nation, Salon and Page 2 at ESPN.com. Bomani has been featured on several television programs, including a Michael Jackson documentary broadcast all over the world. In 2008, he was prominently featured in the HBO Sports documentary The Battle for Tobacco Road: Duke vs. Carolina, and contributed to 2011′s Runnin’ Rebels, a documentary on HBO about UNLV basketball. Bomani has served as an adjunct professor at Elon University and Duke University.

Brian Dassler

Brian Dassler remembers the moment in ninth grade English when he decided he was going to be a high school English teacher, and in his senior year of high school Brian is quoted in the school yearbook as saying he would be a high school principal in ten years - two predictions that proved prescient. An award–winning teacher and principal, Brian now serves as Deputy Chancellor of Educator Quality for the Florida Department of Education where he supports teachers and leaders in ensuring every student has the learning opportunities each of us would want for our own children.

Casandra Henriquez

Life Coach/CEO

When love eludes you, there is only one woman who can help you capture it—and she is Dr. Casandra “Coach Cass” Henriquez. An intuitive love coach and matchmaker for successful women, Coach Cass sets stages aflame as an in-demand speaker. Her voice graces the airwaves weekly on Hot 105's Rick Party Show, the #1 South Florida Urban radio show, and she also hosts her own television show, Fiscally Fit. Coach Cass has been chronicled and featured by Woman's Day, Fast Company, and Black Enterprise to name a few. She is passionate about many things, but choosing her purposed path to help women realize results in life and in love tops the list. Coach Cass has started a movement called the W.A.N.T.E.D. Women's Movement, where over 6 months she teaches successful women "How to Attract, Find, and Keep the Right Man." Coach Cass believes that every woman deserves the kind of love that makes her heart smile.

Daniel Puder

Wrestler/MMA Fighter

Daniel Puder is an Undefeated Mixed Martial Arts Fighter and WWE’s Tough Enough Champion. He gave up his career as a professional athlete to use his name to make a long term, positive impact in the world! He went from fighting professionally in the ring, to now fighting for our future generations through his 501(c)3 non-profit, My Life My Power, that he founded in 2010. As the Executive Director of MLMP, Puder speaks around the world and leads training seminars where he uses his evidence based mentoring curriculum as a platform to inspire and empower both youth and adults.

Dre Baldwin

Dre Baldwin brought basketball training & motivational video to the Internet, leveraging that foresight into brand names and a growing business empire. During his 9 years as a professional basketball player, Dre began publishing workout and motivational messages to YouTube in 2006. Now with over 4,500 videos online covering discipline, confidence, sports and business, Dre has been viewed over 35,000,000 times by 100,000+ subscribers. Dre, or "DreAllDay" as his fans know him, brings his "Work On Your Game" brand and philosophy to his marketing, branding, and professional speaking businesses. Dre has authored five books, including "The Mirror Of Motivation".

Keith Peters

Keith Peters is a public education champion and a strong advocate of bringing risk-taking into our schools. Currently in his 16th year as an educator, he serves as Principal of Gator Run Elementary in Weston, Florida. His school is known for breaking new ground with innovative practices, such as Genius Hour, BYOD (Bring Your Own Device), 1:1 learning, and flexible learning spaces. Keith has also served as a member of the State of Florida’s Commissioner’s Leadership Academy. A passionate supporter of the use of social media in education, he co-hosts a weekly Twitter chat dedicated to helping educators connect (#SoFLEdChat).

Lizz Smoak

Personal Brand Strategist/Entrepreneur

Lizz Smoak is a Personal Brand Strategist, motivational speaker and award-winning lifestyle entrepreneur. She reaches budding entrepreneurs through her 1 on 1 coaching programs spanning 4 continents and leads dynamic training programs, like her flagship branding course, Be The Brand Academy. The 8-week online course teaches individuals to succeed in business by developing their own personal brand. “A lifestyle entrepreneur is a passionate individual who supports an untethered lifestyle with a profitable business run completely online.” Lizz teaches her students and clients how to scale their business globally by using their own skills, passion, knowledge and a laptop.

Samuel Edwards

In his five years as a data-driven digital marketing strategist, Sam has seen exponential personal and professional growth with countless local businesses, Silicon-Valley startups, enterprise-level corporations and non-profit organizations including: Nasdaq, eBay, Duncan Hines, Drew Barrymore, Amnesty International and Taggler. He is also a contributing columnist to major publications including Inc., Entrepreneur, Business.com; is a frequent guest speaker of advanced digital marketing strategies at the Search Marketing Expo series and has also made a handful of guest appearances on TV and radio discussing the future of social media marketing.