Theme: The Ripple Effect

At Cal Poly Pomona our student body takes pride in being a part of the frontier of human advancement in technology, engineering and design. A major source of inspiration for many students roots from TED Talks, where those at the forefront of their respective industries are encouraged to showcase their innovative and enlightening ideas and perspectives. With the vast amount of resources at our university and a highly motivated team of students, we feel that the time has arrived to acknowledge the brilliance within our community by hosting an event that aims to highlight significant ideas. The opportunity to spread ideas worth sharing, encourage enlightened conversation, and connect great thinkers commands the attention of our students, who are united by the common goal of academic progress. Our university boasts a wide array of excellent programs ranging from engineering, architecture, hospitality, agriculture and computer science, which lays the foundation for a broad base of eager minds to share insights amongst the TED community. Ultimately, our goal as organizers of TEDxCPP stems from our desire to honor an establishment that represents the same ideals that the TED organization stands for: growth, innovation, and progress. We truly believe that this event will invigorate and inspire our academic community, propelling both our students and university towards further pursuits of greatness.

3801 W Temple Avenue
Pomona, California, 91768
United States

Casey Hoke

Cal Poly Pomona Student & Transgender Activist

Casey is a transgender artist and activist who moved from his home in Louisville, Kentucky to study graphic design at Cal Poly Pomona. After coming out during sophomore year of high school, he began speaking out as a Gay/ Straight Alliance officer, peer mentor, and National Student Ambassador for GLSEN (The Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network). In 2014, Casey began “Art, Identity, & You”, a workshop series for the LGBT youth that focuses on LGBT art history and empowerment through the arts. During this time, he also began writing for the Huffington Post, MTV News, and Teenlife Media. Through these channels, Casey challenged a Kentucky Senator on his anti-­transgender “Bathroom Bounty Law” and discussed of positive transgender coverage and narratives in media. He is currently an LGBTQ Wells Fargo Point Foundation Scholar and works as a designer with the Office of Student Life and Cultural Centers.

Haley Esparza

Cal Poly Pomona Alumna and Entrepreneur

Haley Esparza is a young entrepreneur and recent graduate of Cal Poly Pomona, where she received her B.S. in Business Administration. During her time at Cal Poly she held many leadership positions, including president of the Equestrian team, and won awards in competitions, such as the university’s Hackathon and Start Up Challenge. Haley accomplished all of this and more while her health was severely impacted by a hidden illness. Juggling doctor’s appointments, surgeries, and calculus, she has accomplished more than most healthy people her age. There is one term that many of Haley’s physicians use to describe her: “Not the garden variety.

Jason Howarth

Executive and Cal Poly Pomona Alumnus

Jason graduated in 2002 from Cal Poly Pomona with a degree in Construction Engineering Technology. He has worked his way from an intern in the industry to a contributing member of the executive leadership team at Tilden-Coil Constructors. He currently serves by planning commercial construction projects and provides oversight in building construction. In 2009 he started to pursue his passion of leadership with the purpose of adding value to others. He enjoys sharing simple insights with those he influences so they could have more success in life and also helping those interested to find their purpose.

Marc Scarcelli

Cal Poly Pomona Assistant Professor

Marc Scarcelli is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science at Cal Poly Pomona. He received his Ph.D. from the University of California, Davis, his B.A. from Purdue University, and he previously taught at both Ohio University and Bowdoin College. Dr. Scarcelli teaches international relations and comparative politics, offering courses on a broad range of security topics, including war, terrorism, and ethnic conflict, among others.

Mariappan Jawaharlal

Cal Poly Pomona Professor

Dr. Mariappan “Jawa” Jawaharlal (Dr. Jawa) is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Cal Poly Pomona. He is recognized as an outstanding educator for his innovative and engaging teaching pedagogy. He has received numerous honors including the Northrop Grumman Award for Excellence in Teaching and Innovative Educator Award. Dr. Jawa is well known for his hands-on, guided discovery approach. He is the founder of Robotics Education through Active Learning (REAL), a unique K-12 outreach program, which reaches thousands of students each year. Dr. Jawa helped develop the Femineer program that inspires young women about engineering and empowers them with real skills. He has over 20 years of industrial, academic and entrepreneurial experience, ranging from starting new engineering programs to product development and commercialization. Dr. Jawa is passionate about education and writes for the Huffington Post.

Michi Fu

Psychologist & Director of Counseling Services at Cal Poly Pomona

Dr. Michi Fu is a licensed psychologist and Interim Director of Counseling Services at Cal Poly Pomona. She is an educator who has been studying ethnic minority youth and sexuality with her research lab of graduate students. Classes she has taught tend to be immersive experiences, including studying abroad in Asia to see how others promote healthy living through integrated methods. She enjoys collaborating with allies to encourage wellness across various spectrums. She has a private practice, which offers telemental health services, and provides culturally responsive treatment to those who can benefit from her Taiwanese/Mandarin language skills. She serves as a consultant to provide trainings regarding wellness, cross-cultural psychology, and healthy relationships. Dr. Fu publishes in the areas of multicultural mental health, advocacy, women’s issues, and positive psychology.

Ming Tai

Cal Poly Pomona Alumnus & Graphic Designer

Ming Tai is the Assoc. Professor and Director of Motion Design at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena. He has over 14 years of experience as a teacher and mentor. Ming is also the founder of Ming Tai Consultancy and former co-founder of the award winning design agency MFactor, Inc. Over the past 20 years, Ming has designed/directed projects for the NFL, FOX, NBC and other American networks as well as documentaries and commercials. He’s a multiple EMMY and Promax/BDA award winner and was the recipient of the 2008 Distinguished Alumni Award here at CPP representing the College of ENV. Since becoming director of Motion for both Graphic Design and Illustration in 2010, the program has become well known in the creative industry to produce the finest motion designers in the world. Motion students have won numerous awards. They include Type Directors Club, Art Directors Club, Promax/BDA, Adobe Achievement Awards.

Rosanne Welch

Cal Poly Pomona Professor and Author

Dr. Rosanne Welch teaches Humanities courses in the IGE Department at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona; screenwriting in the California State University, Fullerton RTVF Department; and film history and screenwriting courses for the MFA in Screenwriting program of Stephens College. Welch began her professional life as a television writer/producer on Beverly Hills 90210, Picket Fences and Touched by an Angel. In 1998 she researched, wrote and co-produced Bill Clinton and the Boys Nation Class of 1963 for ABC NEWS/Nightline. Welch has done presentations based on previously published works including a chapter in Torchwood Declassified: Investigating Mainstream Cult Television; an essay in Doctor Who and Race: An Anthology; and her forthcoming book Why The Monkees Mattered (2016 McFarland Publishing). In April she will publish the 4-volume Women in American History: A Social, Political, and Cultural Encyclopedia and Document Collection (ABC-CLIO) a project she co-edited with

Shayda Kafai

Cal Poly Pomona Lecturer

Dr. Shayda Kafai is a lecturer at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona’s Ethnic and Women Studies Department. She earned her Ph.D. in Cultural Studies from Claremont Graduate University. Her dissertation titled Re-inscribing Disability: The Performance Activism of Sins Invalid explores the performance art and disability justice work of Sins Invalid, a San Francisco Bay Area based performance project. As a queer, disabled woman of color, she is committed to exploring the numerous ways we can reclaim our bodies from intersecting systems of oppression. Shayda lives in Los Angeles with her wife, Amy.

Thomas DiJulio

Cal Poly Pomona Student and Microfungi Enthusiast

Thomas DiJulio is a 4th year manufacturing engineering major at Cal Poly Pomona. His fondness and appreciation of the natural world stems from his childhood. Hikes with his father and fascination with the world of fungi inspired him to pick up mushroom foraging. Outside of school and foraging, Thomas enjoys cooking, playing guitar and hiking.