Fifth TEDxLaSierraUniversity inspires with ‘Through it All’ theme

The day-long slate of speakers and presentations two years in the making got off to an inspirational start as the Urban Voices Project, a community choir and nonprofit based in Los Angeles’ Skid Row, filed on stage, singing as they came and led by co-founder Leeav Sofer. They fanned out into the audience and invited La Sierra University members to join them as they clapped and sang in a moving line. Their performance interspersed with testimonials of rising from desperate circumstances through the power of music set a rousing tone for this year’s TEDxLaSierraUniversity theme, “Through it All.” 

The interactive performance was followed by a talk from Sofer on the pervasiveness of homelessness and the rejuvenating impact of nonprofit Urban Voices Project on homeless communities. Eight  presentations divided into three sessions followed Urban Voices and Sofer given by speakers from wide-ranging backgrounds. Speakers included Oscar Olivarria, principal of Calexico Mission School, a Seventh-day Adventist K-12 school; Andrew Marr, retired U.S. Army Special Forces Green Beret and best-selling co-author; Dr. Lee Grismer, La Sierra professor of biology and renowned herpetologist;  Rose Mayes, executive director of the Fair Housing Council of Riverside County; Tasia Valenza, Emmy-winning voiceover artist and actress; Captain Tim Strack, city of Riverside Fire Department; Jeff Piotrowski, Emmy-winning storm documentarian, storm chaser and news media consultant, and his wife, aviation industry mechanic and certified drone pilot Kathryn Piotrowski.

Olivarria, among the first speakers, brought to the audience the story of the significant sacrifices made by Calexico Mission School’s students and their parents. 

Eighty-five percent of students live in Mexicali which lies across the U.S.-Mexico border on the other side of the street from the school in Calexico. In order to get to school on time, students in Mexico must get up very early to join crowds of people pushing their way through the international border crossing. He described the anxiety of Mexican parents, working for pesos, whose ability to pay their children’s tuition at the school hinges on the monetary exchange rate between the two nations. Businesses near the border fence post neon signs informing customers of the fluctuating rates. “Young students are able to understand that the higher that number on the marquis, the greater the possibility that their parents might tell them they can’t continue going to school with us,” Olivarria said, adding that many actually request prayer for the dollar to go down. 

Olivarria, who is also a graduate of Calexico Mission School and an alum of La Sierra, relayed to the audience a traumatic experience he encountered in 2018 through a false arrest in Mexico and harrowing 30-hour imprisonment.

“If you think about how you have been able to overcome your adversity,” said Olivarria, “…I think you can agree with me that it was your faith. That is the vehicle through which we are able to overcome adversity. I want to share my students’ journey with you because as you learn their story, if you look at them as human beings, … you will see that thing I think we are all looking for, that resiliency to face every day of our life.”

Former Special Forces member Marr described to the audience how he learned at an early age from his father the importance of a decisive attitude regardless of circumstances. The ability to face and confront fears and commit to the mission provided the foundation upon which he attained a Special Forces Green Beret status with the U.S. Army. However upon returning from active duty in 2013, he experienced a troubling and unexpected onset of uncontrollable panic attacks, crying and depression. The symptoms were the result of Traumatic Brain Injury, or TBI, caused by repeated concussive blast waves, and which doctors treated with the highest dosages of medications. The highly trained special forces soldier met with multiple doctors seeking relief. When they were unable to help, he turned to alcohol and became consumed with the unfairness of his situation, he said.

The advice of his father coupled with the devastating experience of observing his 13-month-old son’s serious medical condition and surgery jolted Marr out his downward spiral. He determined to regain his former life beginning with a return to his foundational training, a halt to the medication, and a promise to help others. He eventually connected with Mark Gordon, a physician, media medical consultant and noted endocrinologist whose work in finding alternatives to treatment of Traumatic Brain Injury proved life-changing. Marr is currently symptom and medication free and completing an MBA at Pepperdine University in Malibu. 

“Though at that time I had a short-circuiting brain and malfunctioning body, I came to understand that we all have this gift inside of us. It allows us to choose how we receive, internalize and respond to life. I vowed to never become a victim to my circumstance again,” said Marr.

In 2015, Marr, along with his brother, Adam Marr, a former U.S. Army Apache helicopter pilot, founded the Warrior Angels Foundation through which they connect military members, veterans and civilians suffering the effects of TBI with Gordon and his protocol. The brothers co-authored the book, “ Tales from the Blast Factory: A Brain-injured Special Forces Green Beret’s Journey Back from the Brink.” Marr has appeared on several media shows and a documentary on his life created by an Emmy-winning director is expected to be released in 2020.

“It’s not about what happens to us that matters,” Marr said. “It’s about what we choose to do about what happens to us that is the difference maker.”

Making impact

Attendees of the Nov. 8 event commented on ways the talks impacted them. Brayden Clark, a freshman at Mesa Grande Academy in Calimesa and a flutist in the academy band appreciated the Urban Voices Project performance and talk by founder Sofer. “I really liked how music can represent emotions and we can use that to calm down, …how music helps to create and represent how we feel” he said.

Shiyloh Romo-Schmunk, also a freshman at Mesa Grande Academy with interests in one day joining the U.S. Air Force said that Marr serves as a significant role model by showing that it’s possible to become stronger through adversity. “[It was] his whole message about what he’s struggled through and even prospered from that most inspires me.” 

Riverside residents and sisters Natacha Barbieri and Maia Purvis attended TEDxLaSierraUniversity after Maia saw a promotion for the event online. The sisters are fans of TED Talks owned by the nonprofit TED organization.

“The thing I took away is that no matter how alone we feel, there’s a lot of people out there to help,” Barbieri said after the close of the event. Her sister added that she was inspired by speaker and voiceover artist Valenza and her message on the importance of “finding your voice, being able to speak up for yourself,” Purvis said.

Olivarria said that it was an honor to share the story of Calexico Mission School and its students. While stepping onto the stage as a public speaker was somewhat nerve-wracking, Olivarria commended event leaders for a professionally organized conference and was impressed with the talks presented by the other speakers. 

Inspired idea

The idea to host a TEDxLaSierraUniversity event sprang from discussions in 2012 about new programs and experiences that could be offered in the new Tom & Vi Zapara School of Business which opened in 2013, said John Razzouk, instructor and Sam Walton Fellow at the School of Business where the events are held. He applied with TED, owner of the famed TED Talks to become a licensed TEDxOrganizer and launched the first event in 2014. Razzouk puts together each annual event outside of his work hours aided by volunteers and with sponsors to cover costs. 

Each year’s event themes have been based on a poem written by Razzouk – ‘When the day is done and the battle won, tomorrow still is yet to come, For when the day is done and through, tomorrow's challenge waits for you, The Possible, it starts with one, the other things, the great undone. And through it all, you'll learn it's true, The Possible begins with you.’ Razzouk says he aims to create two more TEDxLaSierraUniversity conferences which will complete the messaging structure based on his poem. 

“Our 2019 event was two years in the making,” Razzouk said. “We had a record 400-plus speaker applications come in and it was a big challenge between the team and I to narrow the field to the 10 talks and performances our audience experienced in November. What resulted was truly my favorite TEDxLaSierraUniversity event to date.” 

Videos of the November TEDxLaSierraUniversity talks will be uploaded and become the property of TED. They will be accessible early in 2020 at TEDxLaSierraUniversity.com, in the TEDx video library at TED.com, and on the TEDx YouTube channel.

About TEDx, x = independently organized event
In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TED Talks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized. (Subject to certain rules and regulations.)