Theme: UNSTOPPABLE

This is the first TEDx event at Mount Saint Mary's University, and it will be featuring an exclusive lineup of MSMU students and faculty speakers. Produced by Mount Saint Mary’s University students, TEDxMSMU echoes the mantra of the only women's university in Los Angeles: UNSTOPPABLE. At MSMU, the question isn’t "who is going to let me?" but rather, "who is going to stop me?"

Hannon Theater
12001 Chalon Rd.
Los Angeles, California, 90049
United States

Caitlyn Keeve

Neurofeminist-in-Training

Caitlyn is a freshman at MSMU, where she is majoring in Psychology. She is from San Diego, California, and she is passionate about mental health and promoting healthy perceptions of women in media, reality, and education. She is a member of the MSMU Yearbook Staff and the African American Council of Women, and enjoys reading mystery novels with female leads and hiking on early Saturday mornings. In her talk, she will be exploring the power of personal assessment and how introspection can influence your brain activity, personality, and lifestyle long-term.

Dr. Andree Leighton

Educator

Dr. Leighton is a faculty member at MSMU, where she teaches in the traditional undergraduate program and the Weekend and Evening College. She holds a PhD in Political Science from Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Her research interests include political philosophy, politics, and the arts. She also loves long, long walks: the more trees, the better. In her talk with Dr. McCredie and Dr. Wright-Garry, she will be exploring the creation of a pedagogical approach.

Dr. Laurie Wright Garry

Educator

Dr. Wright-Garry is an Associate Professor at MSMU, where she teaches in the Religious Studies department. She earned her MA in Theological Studies from the University of Notre Dame and her PhD in Religious Studies from Marquette University. With over a decade at MSMU, she believes it is her vocation to teach at the only women's university in Los Angeles, and has been honored to be part of the education process of students as they transform from student to leader in order to improve the communities they call home. In her talk with Dr. McCredie and Dr. Wright-Garry, she will be exploring the creation of a pedagogical approach.

Dr. Nicole Haggard

Founder, Center for Women in Hollywood

Dr. Haggard is an Associate Professor at MSMU, where she teaches in the Film, Media, and Social Justice program. She has spent the past fourteen years studying and contextualizing the intersection of race and gender in American culture and the media’s ability to impact society. She founded the Center for Women in Hollywood and also works as a Media Diversity & Inclusion consultant in Los Angeles. Dr. Haggard strives to bring out in her students and clients a deeper understanding of themselves, the greater purpose of their work, and their relationship to the world around them. In her talk, she will be using her journey from a GED to PhD to explore why media matters, how race and representation impact our culture, and the power of unstoppable women with great ideas to change the world.

Dr. Wendy McCredie

English + Humanities Professor

Dr. McCredie is an Associate Professor at MSMU, where she teaches English and Liberal Arts in the graduate Humanities program and the Weekend and Evening College, and English and Liberal Arts in the traditional undergraduate program. She holds a PhD in Comparative Literature and an MA in French from the University of Texas at Austin and a BA in Literature from Yale University. Her research interests include literature by women, ethics, and literary language and literary theory. In her talk with Dr. Leighton and Dr. Wright-Garry, she will be exploring the creation of a pedagogical approach.

Julia Johnson

Soprano Vocalist + Activist

Julia is a junior at Mount Saint Mary's University, where is she majoring in Music (with a double emphasis in Vocal Performance and Music Education) and minoring in Psychology. She is from Spokane, Washington, and is an award-winning soprano vocalist. She credits her education in and passion for music for maintaining her emotional health and encouraging her to do teach others how to do the same. She plans to continue her study of opera, composition, and vocal performance, and hopes to combine her love for performing arts with her spirit for music education and humanitarian activism. In her talk, she will be sharing how a difficult time in her life encouraged her to face her fears, learn resilience, and "Jump."

OnJonet Williams

Poet + Filmmaker

OnJonet is a junior at MSMU, where she is majoring in Film, Media, and Social Justice. She is an award-winning student filmmaker, poet, and public speaker based in Los Angeles, California. Her films "Suicide City" and "Please Plateau" were screened at the Slim Cinema Vertical Film Festival in Manhattan, New York and recognized as an official selection in the Stories Lived Film Festival, respectively. Moreover, she has been awarded by the Intellectual Properties Foundation in December 2016. Each day she strives to become one step closer to changing someone’s perspective on life. In her talk, she will be sharing the story of how she became a poet and speaker while dealing with her developmental delays and mental illness.

Sue Turjman

Scientist-in-Training

Sue is a graduating senior at MSMU, where is majoring in Biology and minoring in Psychology. She was named "Outstanding Student in Biology" in 2014, and "Outstanding Senior in Biology" this year. She has been a part of several collaborative research projects at MSMU, UCLA, and City of Hope. She plans to continue her education and obtain a Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences. In her talk, she will be introducing a new genetic editing tool called "CRISPR," and analyzing the ethical concerns associated with such a tool, including, but not limited to the following questions: What diseases can we cure? Can we use these tools for cosmetic editing? Should we eliminate the autism gene?

Sydnei Jones

Law Student

Sydnei is a recent graduate of Mount Saint Mary's University, where she double majored in Political Science and Philosophy. She was raised in the heart of East Oakland by a single mother, and is one of eight children. She served as one of the founders of the Black Student Union, president of the African American Council of Women, treasurer of The Seekers: Philosophy Club, and has interned with the City of Los Angeles. Since December, she has worked as a case assistant at several law firms, and is now an administrative secretary at California Rural Legal Assistance, Inc. She'll be attending the University of Iowa Law School in the fall, where she also plans on pursuing a Master's in Philosophy. In her talk, she'll be asking why people have an issue with "Black Lives Matter" as well as presenting an original spoken word piece asking "Do I Matter to You?"