'Unwoven:' Columbia Students Curate Connection and Courage at TEDx Conference

Campus Communications Staff / May 28, 2025

person standing on tedx stageColumbia graduate student Abel Alejandre explores how art is tied to radical imagination.
Through storytelling and collaboration, Columbia College Chicago students bring imagination, authenticity, and vulnerability to the TEDx stage.

This month, Columbia College Chicago’s School of Business and Entrepreneurship hosted “Unwoven,” a student-produced TEDx conference that brought together 15 speakers and a semester of behind-the-scenes planning to create a powerful day of ideas. 

Hosted by Columbia students I’Ja Wright and Uriel Reyes, “Unwoven” was more than a showcase of talks — it was the product of Events Management: TEDx, a hands-on class taught by adjunct professors Monika Jaiswal-Oliver and Kari Sommers. Students were divided into four teams — Talent, Marketing, Fundraising, and Production — to produce the live, six-hour event from the ground up. 

“Events like this are how students discover their calling,” Jaiswal-Oliver says. “They realize they’re not just learning — they’re doing. And they’re doing something that matters.” 

Unraveling the Theme 

The theme came about by playing with the idea of threads and how they connect people, according to Isaac Carter, a marketing major.  

“Unwoven came from the idea that sometimes you have to unravel the old to weave something new,” Carter says. “We’re breaking down expectations, barriers, and assumptions that hold us back. It’s about unraveling what we think we know — about ourselves, each other, and the future — to imagine something better.” 

Speakers Explore Creativity, Connection, and More at TEDx 

The conference featured a mix of students, faculty, and alumni speakers. Their talks covered topics such as creativity, connection, vulnerability, and identity. Lori Klinka, an adjunct professor at the School of Theatre and Dance, presented on the topic of unarmed communication. 

 “I talk about putting down your guard and being real,” she says. “It’s something I teach my students, and something I practice.” 

Student Braxton Mastre used his time on stage to empower others by sharing his personal experiences with dyslexia.  

“I like public speaking, but it also terrifies me,” he says. “Still, I knew I had something to share — that a disability doesn’t have to hold you back.” 

Students Behind the Curtains 

It wasn’t easy getting to the final product, but students were all in when it came to working together to get it across the finish line, from finding the right speakers to promoting the event to raising money to pay for speaker gift bags.  

“We’d split work by team, but when it came down to it, we all jumped in where needed,” says student Mackera Molomanga. “It wasn’t just one group’s job. It was everyone’s.” 

Inspiring, Industry Experience 

For many students, the course offered a career-defining moment. “They’re producing a real TEDx event,” says Sommers. "This isn’t a simulation. This is the industry.” 

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