By Hannah Stewart (Commā19)
Photos by Jack Moody
Faculty advisor Michael Burns is no stranger to working TEDx eventsāhe used to run one at Texas State University before coming to the University of Colorado Boulder last fall. But it was a surprise to discover that there were only three returning students to work with.
Fortunately for him, one was Lillian Wentworth.
āI am so lucky to have Lillian on the team, and that she was there from day one of me arriving at CU,ā Burns said. āAs the operations lead, you need to be in a logistics mindset most of the time, but Lillian has this amazing ability to blend in her creative side throughout the process.ā
Wentworth is in her third and final year studying strategic communication, with an emphasis in public relations. When she joined TEDxCU last year, she worked as the assistant director of media, joining a team that conducted photoshoots and recorded short clips of the speakers for TikTok and Instagram.Ģż
While she loves working with mediaāshe dabbles in photography in her free timeāsheās blossomed in her new role with the leadership team, in part because it more closely aligns with her academic interests and because of the skills sheās developed along the way.
āBeing a media director is almost how I view advertising,ā she said. āAnd operations is like PR. Itās more the logistics and coordinating staff and working with sponsors. Focusing on the audience experience is more aligned with my interests, anyway.ā
Her staff is a team of about 10 volunteers, mostly first- and second-year students who have never worked in a professional setting before. Wentworth said itās been fulfilling to help them develop skills like crafting outreach emails, communicating with potential sponsors, event planning and more. Sheās also had to help both the leaders and volunteers for other committees.
āI work with everybody. I love doing operations, but Iāve helped with marketing and I coordinate with our speaker leads and finance teams a lot,ā she said. āBecause I was part of the team before, a lot of the other leaders reach out to me for help. Itās such an honor that they consider me an expert and want my opinion.ā
Now that the TEDxCU team has grown, Wentworth and her peers are excited to grow the programās reputation, as well. This year, the student-run event will include more than just a handful of speakers sharing their ideas and research with the community. There will also be art and interactive booths for the audience to engage with.
āOur team is answering the question, āhow do we create a bigger impact?ā My vision is to find ways to implement more academic connections for students, so they can see how their courseworkāno matter the majorārelates to their role in TEDxCU,ā Burns said. āI see planning this event as a way for our students to bring what they are learning in the classroom to life. I also want to use TEDxCU to create stronger connections between campus and the city.ā
Creating connections is where Wentworth thrives. She said one of the most exciting moments this year was learning that high school students were planning on coming to the event, even before the team had begun advertising tickets.
āThe fact that we have sold 100 tickets and people are reaching out means people are seeking out the work weāre doing and that we have an impact on the community,ā she said. The group has now sold more than 500 tickets. āI wish I couldāve gone to something like this in high school, because I think I wouldāve figured out what I wanted to do in college a lot sooner.ā
For Wentworth, her two-year tenure with TEDxCU has been an incredible learning experience. The experience has validated her belief that she likes to support others, challenged her to grow as a leader and given her opportunities to meet and work with amazing people.
āI think Iām going to go into corporate social responsibility or marketing for nonprofits after graduation,ā Wentworth said. āTED has opened a lot of opportunitiesāin fact, my whole perspective on my career path is so much bigger since Iāve joined TED.ā
Ā鶹ŅłŌŗ promoted TEDxCUat a recent Be Involved Fair on-campus in Boulder.
Michael Burns, left, took over as faculty advisor for TEDxCU this year and said that the success of this year is due in large part to Wentworthās involvement. He said, āLillian is a rockstar. She is an amazing leader who not only organizes her team, but she also empowers them.ā
Senior strategic communication student Lillian Wentworth was one of three returning students organizing the 2024 TEDxCU event. āI want to make it into a campus event that people want to be at,ā she said.