On Monday, May 29, Paris-Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi hosted a TEDxPSUAD event that was open to a general audience.

The idea to hold this event came from one of the members of the Paris-Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi Student Council, Charles Soll, and was further approved by the rest of the Student Council to be led by Soll and his fellow classmate, Mushred Al Remeithi.

The program presented a variety of topics from the 11 speakers who shared different inspirational stories and innovative ideas.

The first and oldest speaker was Dr. Jerry Ernst Wulk, who in his speech aimed to answer the question of what has made him happy over his 90-year lifetime. The talk was welcomed by the young individuals in the audience with respect and admiration.

“I really liked what he said about many health issues that he had experienced, and still he considered himself healthy, happy and energetic,” said NYUAD freshman student Andriy Naavhust. “I subconsciously wish to be like him when I turn 90.”

The talks ranged from Alia Al Mazrouei’s story about the creation of the restaurant Just Falafel, which gained a significant recognition in the UAE community and quickly spread around the Middle East, to Jules Lewis’s presentation on how her childhood passion of traveling evolved into a career of organizing mountain expeditions.

In the talk “From Dust to Dine,” two young Emirati ladies, Alamira Noor Bani Hashim and Buthaina Al Mazrui, told the audience how they came to create The Dinner Club by No. 57, which organizes mystery dinners in different parts of the city with unique designs and special menus. These events are a chance to meet new people in a creative environment. In the future, the plan to open the boutique café No. 57 in Abu Dhabi.

“I found ‘From Dust to Dine’ most interesting out of all the talks,” said freshman Angelina Micha-Djaja. “The girls were both clearly passionate about the project they've taken on. It was great to see two friends work together so well, and the concept of The Dinner Club was just so fascinating.”

One of the most moving and inspirational talks was by the breast cancer survivor Julia Selinger.

“Julia Selinger was so heartfelt and was extremely open to sharing her experience with cancer,” Micha-Djaja said. “At the same time she was able to make the audience laugh numerous times throughout her talk. Although her message was one I've heard many times before, I found her to be very courageous and admirable.”

The last speaker, Kathy Shalhoub, talked about the power of distraction and the often positive role it has played in her life.

“Kathy Shalhoub's talk about ‘The Power of Distraction’ was particularly interesting because I could relate to Kathy, as I have experienced the power of distraction myself,” said Soraya Bagheri, a PSUAD senior

The reasons for attending the event varied among NYUAD students. Some took it as a chance to hear TEDx talks in real life as opposed to the online video versions that are popular on this campus.

“I have watched numerous TED talks online and find them very interesting,” Micha-Djaja said. “But it was exciting to have the opportunity to watch TEDx live.”

Although this event was not intended to facilitate NYUAD and PSUAD interaction, some NYUAD students took advantage of the opportunity to see PSUAD campus and meet other students.

“Most of the student who went there had never been to PSUAD before,” said Naavhust. “It was exciting to see another non-Middle Eastern type of higher education institution in the region [and] how it is different from NYUAD.”

NYUAD sophomore Alf Lim was invited to attend the event by a current PSUAD student.

“I was recommended to attend by one of my fellow [Sila Connection] members who is a student at PSUAD,” said Lim. “She highlighted that the speakers were going to be great and since I had the time and have always wanted to attend a TED event, I decided to go.”

Naavhust noted that he decided to attend the event in order to challenge his skeptical opinion about TEDx events.

“Frankly speaking, I never was a fan of TEDx before going there,” said Naavhust. “I heard of it a lot, watched some videos on youtube, and perceived the events as an opportunity for people to challenge their public speaking skills.”

Collectively, students found TEDxPSUAD an important event for the UAE community.

“I definitely think events like these are important to host in the Abu Dhabi community,” said Micha-Djaja. “Many students in NYUAD want to hear more stories of influential people in the region and this is a great way to do so.”

Later this week, on May 1, the Sheikha Salama bint Hamdan Al Nahayan Heritage Foundation hosted an event in Al Manarat Al Saadiyat, as part of the SSHF Muntada Social Business series. The three speakers shared their innovative ideas and experiences in the world of social entrepreneurship. Jessica Jackley talked about the foundation of the microfinance non-profit organization Kiva, Suraj Sudhakar explained the reasons why he didn’t hesitate to join the entrepreneurial non-profit organization Acumen Fund and Leila Ben-Gacem talked about the life path that led her to the creation of the organization Sougha, a Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development that facilitates artisan-entrepreneur business with a goal to support the local heritage.

Khulood Al Atiyat, Assistant Director, Student Life & Resident Fellow, moderated the event and expressed her hopes to see more NYUAD students at these types of events in the future.

Events like TEDxPSUAD and the Muntada Conference are not only important for the emerging social business community of the UAE, but also for encouraging discussions and the exchange of ideas in the younger generation.

“The slogan for TEDx is ‘ideas worth spreading,’ and I think that events like this that spread inspiration and new ideas are not important only to the Abu Dhabi community, but to all communities,” Bagheri said. “That being said, open events that are geared towards inspiring youth are particularly important in Abu Dhabi as almost 50 percent of the population is between the age of 17-30 years of age.”