At the second annual TEDxGrinnellCollege event, “Bursting the Bubble,” alumni spoke about connecting their experiences at Grinnell with their lives after Grinnell through individual stories. The event took place on Nov. 5 in Roberts Theatre.

Meghna Ravishankar ’17 said the theme was carefully chosen to be broad enough to ensure that speakers of academic, racial and gender diversity could all effectively address it, as well as to facilitate diversity of perspectives. Ravishankar said the TEDxGrinnellCollege team vetted hundreds of suggested alumni before selecting the speakers.

“All of our speakers came from different walks of life, so we were able to cater to a wider variety of people and address everyone’s interests this year,” she said. “We were trying to make sure it was an all-encompassing, interdisciplinary event, which is pretty much what TEDxGrinnellCollege is about. The theme should be broad enough for anyone to be able to speak to it.”

One of the speakers was a two-time Olympic bicyclist and rheumatologist who advised that students take care not to live only by the expectations of others.

“She is still practicing in one of the most reputable private medical practices in Palo Alto. Her talk was titled ‘Just Because You Can, Doesn’t Mean You Should,’ and it was about her experience trying to live up to expectations that have been put on her,” Ravishankar said. “It was an indirect way of addressing the theme, but it still tied in through the way it pointed out that you just get caught up sometimes in the way you care about what other people think you should be doing.”

Footage of the event will be released online by TEDxGrinnellCollege in a matter of weeks.