Speakers inspire at TEDxLaSierraUniversity: video recap

The event offered insight into a gamut of intriguing topics and inspirational personal stories under the theme “It Starts with One.” Videos of this year’s TEDxLaSierraUniversity speakers are now available at www.TEDxLaSierraUniversity.com, the TEDxTalks Youtube Channel, and at tedxtalks.ted.com.

• Ryan Berk, founder of A La Minute boutique ice cream shops and Parliament Chocolate in Redlands, California;
• Charlie Zhang, founder of the Pick Up Stix fast-casual chain and real estate development company Zion Enterprises;
• Pianist Alpin Hong, a renowned motivational speaker and performer;
• Award-winning tech entrepreneur and digital marketing guru Tania Garrett Mulry;
• Drummer and educator Mike Johnston, founder of the world’s largest educational website for drummers;
• Paul Dickau, executive director of Help for the Hurting Inc. and former venture capital firm senior partner;
• Abby, a 14-year-old high school freshman offering insights into the role we play in the lives of others; and
• Francesca “Frankie” O. Johnson, a 15-year-old who discovered the life art of improvisation.

TEDxLaSierraUniversity kicked off with a talk by Southern California native Ryan Berk whose passion for food and its connection to local culture and fair trade practices resulted in the creation of Redlands-based boutique ice cream shop A La Minute. The shop, which has three locations, uses a liquid nitrogen fast-freezing process and local ingredients to create such unique flavors as orange honey, strawberry balsamic, olive oil vanilla bean, and chocolate lavender. Berk and his wife, Cassi, also own Parliament Chocolate which creates chocolate bars from cacao beans Berk purchases directly from farmers in Belize and Guatemala four times a year.

Berk talked about his interests in food and its sources, his work as a teenager in a Redlands Thai restaurant, world travels, education at a top culinary school, and beginnings of a career as a casino chef working 12-hour days. “[But] I never saw my wife, and I never connected with the food. I wanted to know who planted the seeds or raised the cow for milk for the crème brulée,” he said. Acting on an idea derived from the frozen fish  and ice packs he handled at the restaurant, he and his wife experimented with using dry ice to make custard. “After one blow-up incident we had success with an amazing custard,” he said. The Berks opened their first A La Minute ice cream shop in Redlands in 2012. 

Charlie Zhang, an award-winning businessman who founded the fast-casual Asian food chain Pick Up Stix and real estate development company Zion Enterprises links his success to the decision he made upon immigrating by himself in 1982 from a life of poverty in China to the United States to study the clarinet. He arrived with $20 in his pocket and limited English-speaking skills. He applied for 20 jobs before landing positions as a bus boy and gas station attendant. “I kept reminding myself when I made the choice, that I would never, ever, ever give up,” Zhang said. He founded his first Pick Up Stix restaurant seven years later.

Said Zhang, “Our thoughts have power to create or power to destroy. It all depends on our response to those moments. We have the ability to turn failure and setback to passion and success.”

In keeping with the event’s theme, Dickau titled his talk “It Starts with Me.” His message addressed the fact that all people make a difference, but that individuals can choose whether to make a positive difference. After 20 years in the business sector, Dickau retired from his position as senior partner of a venture capital firm he founded and organized Helping Hands Pantry as a 501(c)(3) in April 2008. He opened with roughly 20 volunteers aiding 180 families a week with food and household items, and operated out of about 1,000 square feet of shared space.

The organization now serves between 10,000 and 14,000 people each week and occupies about 13,500 square feet in San Bernardino, space which it has outgrown. Services are provided through the efforts of 300 regular volunteers and thousands of others that provide occasional help. “My goal is to end hunger in San Bernardino,” said Dickau in an email interview.

TEDxLaSierraUniversity organizers provided 20 tickets to Hillcrest High School in Riverside. The school has an ongoing relationship with La Sierra University and its students occasionally participate in university events. During a break in the TEDx presentations, a few high schoolers commented on the talks.  “We’re all really lucky to be here,” said Alyssa Carlos, a junior. “The technology [talk] spoke to our generation and what we’re dealing with.” 

Added Jessica Jones, a sophomore, “We’re just very appreciative of La Sierra and what they do in general.”

Joshua Collica, a junior at Hillcrest High looked forward to Hong’s talk and said he loved the theme of the event. “One moment can change [everything]. I’ve seen it in my own life.”

Zhang’s talk “hit very close to home” for Anthony Cadavid, a professor at East Los Angeles College. He arrived in the United States from Colombia in 1984. “We’ve all had that moment where we’ve had to say goodbye to family,” he said. 

TEDxLaSierraUniversity was organized by a team of 31 students and volunteers including local artist Abraham Santos who worked on the stage walls for three days at no charge. Approximately 250 people attended the event. 

John Razzouk, a La Sierra alum and program manager for the Zapara School of Business serves as lead TEDxOrganizer. “The best parts of the day are actually during the breaks and lunch period between our sessions of talks,” he said. “When we see people from all backgrounds, ages, and belief systems engaging excitedly in conversation and developing lasting relationships over the shared experience of attending our event, that's when we know we are doing something right. We absolutely want to do it again in 2016 and already have our theme in mind. ” 

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.) 

About TED

TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. Started as a four-day conference in California almost 30 years ago, TED has grown to support its mission with multiple initiatives. The two annual TED Conferences invite the world's leading thinkers and doers to speak for 18 minutes on a diverse mix of topics. Many of these talks are then made available, free, at TED.com. TED speakers have included Bill Gates, Jane Goodall, Elizabeth Gilbert, Sir Richard Branson, Nandan Nilekani, Philippe Starck, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Isabel Allende and former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown. The TED2014 Conference will take place in Vancouver, British Columbia, along with the TEDActive simulcast in neighboring Whistler. TEDGlobal 2014 will be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

TED's media initiatives include TED.com, where new TED Talks are posted daily; the Open Translation Project, which provides subtitles and interactive transcripts as well as translations from volunteers worldwide; the educational initiative TED-Ed; and TEDBooks, short e-books on powerful ideas. TED has established the annual TED Prize, where exceptional individuals with a wish to change the world get help translating their wishes into action; TEDx, which supports individuals or groups in hosting local, self-organized TED-style events around the world; and the TED Fellows program, helping world-changing innovators from around the globe to amplify the impact of their remarkable projects and activities.