Bee Cigna is a full-time, third-year undergraduate student at Towson University. They are on the path to graduate May 2024 with a Bachelor’s in Criminal Justice and Applied Adult Disability Studies. While balancing their professional responsibilities Towson University’s HRL Department and Hussman Center for Adults with Autism, Bee remains involved in the Towson University community as former Event Coordinator of Queer Student Union and one of the original founders of Disabled Student Union. With a focus on bridging disability activism/advocacy with the criminal justice system, Bee hopes to pursue a career post-graduation with the Maryland State Department of Juvenile Services to fund their graduate educational goal of a Master’s in Social Work. Bee is fueled by their sense of justice and passion to fight for what’s right, especially for the advancement of disability and LGBTQ+ rights. In the words of 32nd First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, Bee follows the message of No one can make you feel inferior without your consent in their academic and professional career.

Dario DiBattista is the editor of the anthology Retire the Colors: Veterans & Civilians on Iraq & Afghanistan. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Guardian, the Baltimore Sun, Connecticut Review, and many other publications. Additionally, he’s been profiled in the New York Times and has been a commentator on NPR, SiriusXM, and for the BBC. He served in the United States Marine Corps Reserve from 2001 - 2007, later becoming a distinguished graduate of the Johns Hopkins University M.A. in Writing Program.

Gabrielle Brooke Baker is a 20-year-old artist from Beltsville, Maryland. She graduated from Our Lady of Good Counsel High School in 2020 and was a member of the National Art Honors Society and an Advance Placement Student. Her art journey began as an inquisitive and creative only child who was always questioning the world around her. She began drawing the day she could hold up a pencil. From a young age, Gabrielle has always been interested in listening to people and understanding their stories. Sometimes, that story can really be told just by looking at someone's face. Everyone’s face is completely unique and is a gateway to understanding who they are and what their story is telling. Her artistic goal is to identify these stories and bring them to life with color with her portraits. Inspired by impressionism, Gabrielle utilizes visual brushstrokes with abstract and vibrant colors in her portraits to convey mood and emotion. She began her portfolio by painting at her desk in her sophomore year dorm. After posting these pieces online, she began selling commissioned portraits last January. Since then, she has painted and sold 10 commissioned pieces and sold over 20 printed artworks at events in Maryland. She has hopes to continue expanding her art business along with getting her degree. She now is a junior at Towson University where she works as a Resident Assistant. She is majoring in Family and Human Services. The convergence of her passion for art and helping people is reflected by her hopes to become a family therapist, specializing in art therapy. Gabrielle hopes to share her love for art with the world. Not only to be admired for its beauty but with a message that art can have a huge impact on people's mental health. With her art, Gabrielle hopes to spread the message that people can rise above their mental, physical and creative limitations through expressing their truest selves with art.

Jordan Gooden is currently a senior at Towson University, majoring in Mass Communications with dual tracks in Advertising and Public Relations. She is a student, creator, and an aspiring multi-media professional. Jordan currently serves as Assistant Director of Marketing for Campus Activities Board. She also is President of AdFed Towson University. The core of her passion comes from understanding how her journey has allowed her to experience many different things. The journey one ventures on to lead them to their career introduces them to new faces, new ideas, new cultures and new perspectives everyday - modern communication. Having grown up in many different communities, predominantly in the DC, Maryland and Virginia area and eventually South Florida, eldest child of single African-American parents, she appreciates her diverse experiences as they have led her to be more appreciative of innovative communication. She has completed 6 internships in my undergraduate career. Two of those were with boutique marketing agencies and the others were with companies including A&E Networks, 2 at NBCUniversal, and TikTok this past Summer 2022. She is also an alumni of the T. Howard Foundation Internship Program; whom she credits for introducing her to her dream career in Advertising Sales. Jordan will present at TEDxTowsonU 2022 the idea of preparing to fail for success. Throughout her early career, she has faced many rejections and setbacks that have motivated her to keep going. She attributes her success now to the many things that I was denied from, failed at, and overcame. She hopes to inspire others on their early career journey.

Lauren Kemmer is a senior at Towson University, majoring in Psychology with a minor in Applied Adult Disability Studies. She aspires to pursue a career in occupational therapy, specializing in pediatric treatment, developing assistive technology, and researching traumatic brain injuries. In the winter of 2021, during her freshman year of college, she was diagnosed with her second significant concussion. Despite previously enduring the recovery process, she was not prepared for the debilitating effects of cognitive trauma and the difficulties of recovering while balancing a collegiate courseload and two jobs. Lauren will present at TEDx to discuss what recovery can teach us about patience, fortitude, and acceptance. Both as a speaker and future occupational therapist, Lauren’s mission is to encourage individuals to learn to trust themselves, gain independence in their lives, and recognize their ability to create change.

As a post-adoption support specialist, co-founder of The Adoption Connection, Safe and Sound Protocol Practitioner, and adoptee, Melissa Corkum has helped hundreds of adoptive parents shift to a brain-based view of behaviors so they can laugh more and yell less. When she’s not working with parents, she loves helping other adoptees process their stories using the Enneagram. She and her husband, Patrick, have six kids by birth and adoption. They've taught her a lot about what creates thriving parent-child relationships…and what doesn't.

Meredith Harris is the Assistive Technology Coordinator within Towson’s Office of Institutional Inclusion and Equity. She is also a PCOS Coach who serves women with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS). Meredith was diagnosed with PCOS as an undergraduate student at Towson University and struggled with the condition since. She spent most of her adult life battling common symptoms, including excessive facial hair growth, weight gain, and infertility. Ten years after being diagnosed with PCOS and struggling to feel normal, Meredith realized that there were strategies that she could use to manage her symptoms. Meredith also knew that she wasn’t alone and so she started sharing her story on social media and created her coaching business, Redefining PCOS. Meredith helps women with PCOS redefine their diagnosis and help them to see PCOS as a mechanism to become the person that they are always meant to be… Positive, Confident, Optimistic, and Strong. Meredith encourages and inspires all people to realize that their “version of PCOS” wasn’t meant to be an obstacle, but something to help to move them forward.

TEDxTowsonU 2022