Theme: Evolve

Thank you for joining us at TEDxLagunaBlancaSchool on January 31, 2018! Designed entirely by an executive committee of students, this TEDx event was open to the entire Santa Barbara community.

About our 2018 theme: We, as a global society, are EVOLVING. It can be seen in every aspect of today’s world–whether it be technology, music, science, media, or the human condition. Development and progress are steadfast in the century we live in, as change can be seen in all features of life. This is why we identified EVOLVE for our TEDxLagunaBlancaSchool 2018 theme.

Laguna Blanca School is founded on a desire to cultivate the evolution of its students–as scholars, athletes, musicians, leaders, and creatives. We believe that one innovative way to foster such growth is by means of communication. This is what TED, a media organization advocating the sharing of ideas, stands for in our society. It is our honor as a learning community to host an event in which this philosophy is embedded and expanded.

Laguna Blanca School
4125 Paloma Drive
Santa Barbara, California, 93013
United States

Athena Boyle

Student Poet

Athena is sixteen years old and in 11th grade at Laguna Blanca School. She has a passion for psychology and in her spare time, she can be caught watching bizarre documentaries and reading about the inadequate treatment given in the U.S. prison system. Having a fondness for both public speaking and poetry, she is excited to perform at TEDx Laguna Blanca School.

Ava Morouse

Student Speaker

Ava Morouse loves creating; it’s been non-stop since her debut as a four year old ballerina bumblebee to a seventeen-year-old junior at Laguna Blanca. Writing, painting, photography, and acting in school productions keeps her creativity front and center. She enjoys deep connections––her friends, family, and faith. An iced coffee enthusiast, Ava’s ideal free time is spent wandering though an art museum or exploring a city.

Douglas McCauley

Marine Sciences Professor, University of California Santa Barbara

Professor Douglas McCauley shows how technology—the source of many of the ocean's problems—can simultaneously be the solution for many of these challenges. He calls on the next generation of researchers to lean into these technologies in order to help mitigate overfishing, curb garbage pollution, and preserve our marine habitats. McCauley is a professor at UCSB. His credentials include: B.A. - University of California at Berkeley, Integrative Biology B.A. - University of California at Berkeley, Political Science PhD - Stanford University, Biology/Hopkins Marine Station NSF IRFP Postdoctoral Fellow - University of California at Berkeley, Environmental Science, Policy, and Management Postdoctoral Research - Hopkins Marine Station of Stanford University

Gilad Goren

CEO, Social Entrepreneur, Travel Industry Expert

Gilad Goren is a social entrepreneur born and raised in the travel industry. Through his projects, writing and speaking opportunities, he seeks to push the world's largest industry to meet its potential for positive impact on a global scale. What if the industry that encompasses ten percent of global GDP and employs every eleventh person on earth would be able to meet its potential for positive impact? That is what Gilad is seeking to find out. Gilad is the founder of tech startup Raleigh&Drake , global nonprofit Travel+SocialGood and impact consultancyOnly Six Degrees. He has spoken at venues such as the United Nations, PURE Experiences, Social Media Week, NY Times Travel show, AirBNB Open, and more. In the spring of 2016, Gilad taught a MA course on sustainable tourism at NYU, and has been published in several media outlets.

Jack Stein

Student Poet

Jack Stein is sixteen years old and he goes to the movies, reads comic books, makes music, writes stories, and draws pictures, all preferably with friends. He likes The Dharma Bums and the Velvet Underground.

Jean Twenge

Professor of Psychology, San Diego State University

Jean M. Twenge, Professor of Psychology at San Diego State University, is the author of more than 130 scientific publications and 6 books, including iGen: Why Today’s Super-Connected Kids Are Growing Up Less Rebellious, More Tolerant, Less Happy–and Completely Unprepared for Adulthood.

Jenny Schatzle

CEO, Jenny Schatzle Program

Jenny Schatzle is the founder of the Jenny Schatzle Program - a fitness movement dedicated to finding your best self. Her program has been feature in The New York Times, ABC News, and People magazine. She is dedicated to making sure everyone can live to their fullest potential by throwing out the toxic things weighing them down, and focusing on everything else that brings pushes them up in life.

Jordan Killebrew

Founder, Project IV Love

Jordan Killebrew serves the Santa Barbara Foundation as the communications officer. The role supports a broad variety of communications activities that promote and enhance the foundation’s identity, including public relations, digital marketing, social media, publications, media relations, advertising, and events. Prior to joining the Foundation, was also the founder of Project IV Love, the inspiration that helped raise over $50k for the Love and Remembrance Garden in Isla Vista. This garden is a community effort that honors the students killed in the Isla Vista shootings in 2014. Jordan holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Design from the University of California, Santa Barbara, where he was deeply involved as a community leader serving as a Resident Assistant and Associated Students Program Board member. When Jordan is not working, you can find him in the good company of close friends at the beach.

Kevin Jones

Fire Engineer, Santa Barbara County Fire Department

Kevin Jones is a fire engineer with the Santa Barbara County Fire Department. He was a first responder during the Thomas Fire, the largest wildfire in California history, as well as the Montecito Mudslides that followed soon after.

Lila Woodard

Youth Contortionist

When she was nine, Lila auditioned for and was accepted to the American Ballet Theatre Young Dancers Summer Workshop. Additionally, Lila dances competitively with Betsy Woyach's Momentum Dance Company in Santa Barbara. Up to the age of nine, all of Lila's contortion skills were self-taught. Drawing upon her acrobatic and dance backgrounds, Lila began working on extreme flexibility and various contortion poses. Beginning in the summer of 2015, Lila began studying contortion and aerial arts with Shannon Beach and Olivia Brown of Nathalie Gauthier's Le Studio LA in Los Angeles. Lila is an aerialist and contortionist with Le PeTiT CiRqUe, the only all-kid humanitarian cirque in the world. Lila is also an accomplished cellist, having begun her study with Alita Rhodes at the age of four. Lila attends the National Cello Institute at Pomona College annually.

Lila Woodward

Contortionist

When she was nine, Lila auditioned for and was accepted to the American Ballet Theatre Young Dancers Summer Workshop. Additionally, Lila dances competitively with Betsy Woyach's Momentum Dance Company in Santa Barbara. Up to the age of nine, all of Lila's contortion skills were self-taught. Drawing upon her acrobatic and dance backgrounds, Lila began working on extreme flexibility and various contortion poses. Beginning in the summer of 2015, Lila began studying contortion and aerial arts with Shannon Beach and Olivia Brown of Nathalie Gauthier's Le Studio LA in Los Angeles. Lila is an aerialist and contortionist with Le PeTiT CiRqUe, the only all-kid humanitarian cirque in the world. Lila is also an accomplished cellist, having begun her study with Alita Rhodes at the age of four. Lila attends the National Cello Institute at Pomona College annually.

Meredith O'Connor

Pop Star, Anti-Bullying Icon

Teen pop star and anti-bullying/mental health icon Meredith O'Connor is a role model and idol to fans all over the world. Her music is loved by millions and some have even claimed that it saved their lives during challenges with bullying and isolation. Meredith has spoken at schools in over 100 cities internationally, and has sold out appearances in London, New York, Athens, Nashville and Los Angeles. Her manager is Rick Galvin, founder of CG Talent.

Michelle Madrid-Branch

Author and Global Advocate for Women and Children

Michelle Madrid-Branch is an author, speaker, international adoptee, and global advocate for women and children; specializing in the areas of adoption, foster care, abandonment recovery, and identity reconciliation. Her mission is to ensure that the adoption community is heard, seen, valued, respected, and understood. She is the Host of The Greater Than Podcast which focuses on the strength and resilience of the human spirit. Michelle shares stories of triumph over challenge and asks the question: What is the internal drive that urges a person to move beyond struggle and stand Greater Than the very obstacle that tried to keep them down?

Monica Ortiz

Mindfulness Expert

Monica Ortiz is a speaker and advocate for the everyday uses of meditation and mindfulness.

Nicole Davis

USA Olympian, Volleyball

Nicole Davis is a retired two-time Olympian, and two-time silver medalist. She spent 11 years on the USA National Volleyball Team, and played professionally in 8 different countries in Europe & Asia. She also helped lead her team to back-to-back NCAA Championships at USC in 2002 & 2003. She currently works at Win Forever Consulting, a company co-founded by Pete Carroll and Dr. Mike Gervais, as a coach and expert on high performance and cultural development, for their corporate clientele. Her vision is to help accelerate the learning of other's through her experiences in pursuing her best in her craft and on the world's stage. She is passionate about impacting others, because she has seen what people are capable of, and now has more science and language around the processes that allow people to really get after it in life, and pursue their potential.

Sameul Rae Bernstein

Transgender Student

Samuel Rae Bernstein is fifteen years old and lives in Santa Barbara, California. He enjoys acting, stand-up comedy, reading, and learning about the world around him. Samuel has been performing on stage since his early childhood and is very excited about the opportunity to speak at TEDxLaguna about his experience as a transgender male.

Samuel Rae Bernstein

Transgender Student

Samuel Rae Bernstein is fifteen years old and lives in Santa Barbara, California. He enjoys acting, stand-up comedy, reading, and learning about the world around him. Samuel has been performing on stage since his early childhood and is very excited about the opportunity to speak at TEDxLaguna about his experience as a transgender male.

Spencer Dusebout

CEO, Hands 4 Others

Spencer was 16 years old when he first founded Hands 4 Others. He has helped transform H4O from an “idea on the back of a napkin” into an international movement. In May 2015, Spencer graduated from Westmont College with degrees in Business and Religious Studies. He is now running H4O full-time and is best known for his public speaking, strategic thinking, and motivational leadership. He is married to Shallon Dusebout and they live in Santa Barbara, CA.