TEDXTULLAHOMA RECENTLY held its third annual South Jackson Civic Center event. The event featured people from different walks of life sharing their inspiring stories. Speakers included Arianna Marin, Brittany Weddington, Colin Shuran, Donald Choate, Fire Phoenix Belly Dancers, Lisa Baker, Nidhi Gupta, and Lyle Russell. The event also featured “experience stations” that allowed participants to participate in bright interactive stations, courtesy of the event’s sponsors, such as The University of Tennessee Space Institute, Motlow College, Vanderbilt Harton Hospital, and more.
Event coordinator Robin Dunn said this year’s event also includes the addition of a student from Tullahoma City Schools.
“We are excited that Ariana Marin could join us,” said Dunn. “She is a student at Tullahoma Virtual Academy. Several of her paintings have been featured at the Frist [Art Center in Nashville]. She is also neurodivergent and shared her experience in that way. We also showcased her amazing artistic talent as well. We want other students from Tullahoma and surrounding areas to come and learn about all the different things we’ve got going on.”
Dunn added that a reduced ticket rate was available for all students for the past event. That discounted rate will continue for future events.
Now in its third year, Dunn said her dedicated crew is part of what has made the event so successful.
“The best part about this whole thing is that we have a great team,” she said. “People like Tisha Fritz, Philip Scoggins, and Gregg Gressel, along with a lot of the folks at South Jackson. I’ve just let them know that this was what I wanted to do, and I’ve gotten a yes so many times from so many people just wanting to be involved because they know what it means to me. This is what makes us. This is the human experience — to be creative and to share technology and new ideas — so it’s really been a lot of fun.”
In the future, Dunn said she hopes to continue to have more people attending the event and able to connect with the speaker and each other.
“I don’t remember how many tens of thousands viewed our videos of the event on YouTube, but I would love for the people who are speaking to be able to connect with other people who otherwise would have never known about it. What I think is really unbelievable about YouTube is that there are going to be people who are going to be watching and seeing that sign that says TEDxTullahoma, having never heard of our town. And they are just able to get all of these great ideas in areas such as puppetry, falconry, health, and more.”
Dunn also wants the event to remind those living in Tullahoma just how special our small town is.
“We want to remind people that good things are happening here,” she said. “There are experts right here who are making things better. And it’s fun to be a part of this. We are reminding everyone what a special place Tullahoma really is. There are good people here who are making a positive difference by just showcasing that expertise.”GN
