In its fifth year hosting the conference, TEDx Cornell invites guest alumni and student speakers to take the stage at Statler Auditorium at their annual conference on Saturday.
Ella Hough ’25, Alexander Htet Kyaw ’23 and Julia Dunetz ’19 were chosen by the speaker curation team to “encourage [the] community to challenge their beliefs, to gain awareness of new ideas, and to think more deeply and critically,” according to the TEDx Cornell site.
The theme “Uncharted” refers to the conference’s spotlight on the speakers’ initiatives in “redefining what’s possible.”
Ella Hough ’25, “In Yourself You Trust”
Hough is a junior fellow studying cognitive science at the Cornell Brooks Tech Policy Institute. She founded the Cornell Bitcoin Club and is part of the College Scholars Program.
Through a speech presentation, Hough will encourage Gen Z to take control of their futures and finances on Saturday.
For Hough, educating others on Bitcoin is part of the solution, and a focus of her speech.
“Often we hear the phrase, ‘time is money.’ But I don't think when many of us go deep into what that phrase means, or truly what money is,” Hough said. “I think it's important for people to start asking these questions.”
In uncertain situations, Hough said she hopes that her audience will believe in themselves to find a solution instead of outsourcing to others. At the heart of her speech, Hough said she wants to inspire Gen Z to feel empowered.
“Our world is changing a lot. We're not going to do things the way we've always done them,” Hough said.
Alexander Htet Kyaw ’23, “Design and Make with Artificial Intelligence, Augmented Reality, and Robotics”
In pursuit of a master's degree, Kyaw currently studies electrical engineering and computer science at MIT, having majored in architecture and minored in information science at Cornell for his undergraduate degree.
“My talk is mainly about how we can collaborate with automation and how automation plays a role in how we actually use machines,” Kyaw said. “And it's not about technologies replacing us, but how we can use them to make things that are different from what we could have done before.”
For Kyaw, collaboration between humans and machines expands design and making. Through AI, AR and robotics, he believes these collaborations can be used for writing and other activities in the surrounding world.
“I think there is no one right answer to like how we approach this technology,” Kyaw said.
Kyaw’s speech will highlight a variety of examples, some with active participants in an automated scenario and others where participants take a passive role in the automation process.
Julia Dunetz ’19, “The Power of Storytelling: A Catalyst for Change”
During her senior year at Cornell, Dunetz received her first producer credit on Broadway for “Seawall/A Life.” Now, the alumna focuses on theater production, notably winning a Tony award for co-producing a revival of “Parade” in 2023.
Dunetz's speech focuses on the potential impacts of storytelling in making the world a better place, a concept that she feels is not yet commonplace.
For “uncharted times,” Dunetz suggests using narrative to change culture.
“I think my message is important to share because we have to find ways to better see each other right now,” said Dunetz. “Especially in the age of social media and division and so much polarization, finding ways to have compassion and empathy for those around us feels paramount.”
Cornell students can attend the TEDx Cornell’s 2025 Annual Conference in Statler Auditorium at 2 p.m. on Saturday by purchasing tickets on Vivenu. Hough, Kyaw and Dunetz will connect technology, storytelling and Bitcoin in three distinct speeches looking into untouched spaces.
Correction, April 11, 12:30 p.m.: A previous version of this article stated that Ella Hough would be discussing "cryptocurrency" in her TEDx presentation. The article has been clarified to reflect that she will specifically discuss Bitcoin.
Correction, April 11, 12:30 p.m.: A previous version of this article spelled Julia Dunetz's name incorrectly. The Sun apologizes for this error.
