The Speech and Presentation Center hosted Southern Utah University’s eighth TedxSUU event on Tuesday, Feb. 11 in the Great Hall of the Hunter Alumni Center. The 2025 program was themed “Now, That’s Interesting!” and featured speeches from university staff, faculty and even a student.
Tedx is an independently organized event licensed through the Ted organization, which follows their mission to “discover and spread ideas that spark conversation, deepen understanding and drive meaningful change.”
Daneka Souberbielle, the vice president of Community Outreach and Engagement at SUU, was the first speaker of the evening. Her speech was titled “Pioneering Discomfort: How being first transfers you and others.”
She encouraged listeners to embrace discomfort in order to experience growth, likening it to the purpose of a dandelion.
“They take root in volcanic ash, they cling to life on bare rock faces and then they improve circumstances for plants that are more complex in order for them to grow,” Souberbielle said. “In other words, they traverse difficult and new terrain, thrive there and improve conditions for those not yet there.”
Next, the Department Chair of Criminal Justice Kevan Jacobson took the stage with his speech “30 years of leadership principles captured in a short Balkan ‘war story.’” He shared what he learned about being a leader through his years in military service.
“You will lead if you see where your people have been, where they are and where they need to be,” Jacobson said. “The essence of leadership is that a leader always sees place, performance and potential.”
The third speaker was SUU Pre-Nursing Student Bienvenue Djamba. She shared her speech, “The true power of love,” and how her life was transformed through experiencing patient and kind love.
“Love is not only a feeling, because feelings can be fleeting and deceptive. It can change and it can also trick you,” Djamba said. “Love is more than a feeling. Love is an action.”
Matt Nickerson, executive director of the Gerald R. Sherratt Library, spoke on the positive influence of learning with his talk “Blue: A polymathic performance.” He relayed advice given to the young King Arthor by Merlin the Magician.
“The best thing for feeling blue is to learn something,” Nickerson said. “It is the only thing that the mind will never exhaust, never alienate, never be tortured by, never fear or distrust and never dream of regretting.”
At the end of the evening, the Speech and Presentation Center recognized each speaker with a commemorative trophy.
Though TedxSUU events only happen once a year, the university hosts speeches all throughout the semester. For more information check out the Eccles A.P.E.X. Lecture and Speaker Series, and visit the Speech and Presentation Center.
Author: Heather Turner
Editor: Tessa Cheshire
Photos by Heather Turner
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