With more than a billion online views and 2100 talks to choose from, TED is an organization that spreads ideas through talks, and in more than 100 languages too. Recently, Easy Meck hosted the first ever TEDx event in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools on April 22.

The theme was ‘Who are we?’ and it was managed by junior Sara Holley and hosted by junior Leo Merrick. The talks and performances were split into three sessions: who we are on a personal level, on a community level, and on a global level.

Not everyone was allowed to go, though. In order to attend the event, students had to fill out and turn in an application.

“We had an overwhelming response of guest applications,” Global Politics teacher, Martha Deiss said, “we couldn’t take everyone who asked to be a part of it, only a certain number of people are allowed for your first event.”

Freshmen Kaylee Schwanke, who was one of the 120 students, teachers, and parents able to go, said that she was not disappointed by the talks.

“There was a lot of social justice stuff, I mean, there was the personal stuff too, which is always interesting, but not as cool as the social justice stuff,” Schwanke said, “the social justice stuff was what I was looking forward too.”

The most memorable and interesting talks for Schwanke was the one about the misinterpretation of the black community, which was by junior Jelani Holloway, and the People v. the Failure, which was by junior Ecab Amor.

After listening the talks, Schwanke said she was inspired and would be interested in going to a East Meck TEDx event next year.

“I even typed up a bunch of ideas I had for talks,” she said, but she doesn’t think that it would go anywhere beyond just ideas.

Holley also shared a desire for a Tedx event next year also, talking about how important continuity is.

“Continuity is really important in any sort of service project you do,” she said. “What’s the point of starting something if you’re not going to continue or finish it?”

She said that she would have to get all her licenses renewed, but it is still something that she would like to do next year.

As Holley put it during the closing statements, “We are able.”