Justin Patch (he/him)

Hometown: New Bedford, MA

Justin Patch is an Assistant Professor of Music here at Vassar, and specializes in music subjects in the U.S. political realm. His Ted talk, titled “Noise Can Change Your Mind,” analyzes the ways in which sound crosses different barriers within society. Along with music, Professor Patch is inspired by art, kindness, dogs, human greatness, and incredible storytelling.

Adedoyin Teriba

Home country: Nigeria

Adedoyin Teriba is an Assistant Professor of Art and Urban Studies here at Vassar and specializes in the history of modern and contemporary architecture and urbanism. Professor Teriba’s Ted talk, “Love Breaks,” will cover the ways in which love, and the love of knowledge, breaks boundaries. He is inspired by both limits and how fragile, yet mysterious, this world is.

Annie Xu (she/her)

Hometown: Shanghai, China

 Annie is a psychology major and for her talk, “Towards the Great Unknown,” she is interested in the ethics of care and de-centering expertise knowledge. She was led to speak about this topic because of her fear of uncertainty and concern surrounding saying the wrong thing. This talk is about what it means to follow your gut and to be motivated by the structure of feeling. Annie is inspired by conversations with her friends who major in very different disciplines.

Clara Lerchi (they/them)

Hometown: Ridgefield, CT

Clara is a psychology major and they will be discussing the societal stigma surround mental illness. In their talk, “A Cure to the Stigma Surrounding Mental Illness,” Clara recognizes how struggles with mental illness can be isolating, and maybe even shameful. They are inspired by hope and the idea that things can always get better and that hope may return again. Finally, they want to dedicate this speech to the people who cared for them when they felt alone, and to those who maybe have felt the same.

Abby Lass (she/her)

Hometown: Newton, MA

Abby is a drama and psychology double major and in her talk, “Diversifying Our Data: A Call to Expand the Way We Measure Value,” she will be talking about the need for researchers to expand the way that they assess data and determine value. This speech was inspired by a an independent research project she did in Spring 2020, which explored the psychological benefits of theatre education for adolescents. She hopes that this speech will encourage researchers to rethink the way that they report the value of programs centering the public good. Abby is inspired by meaningful interpersonal connections and productive self-exploration.

Ames Stevens (they/them)

Hometown: Tucson, AZ

Ames is a film major, and in their talk titled “A Human Gender,” they will be discussing the need for a more human view of gender. They will be exploring the difference between gender as an aspect of internal life and gender as a social construct. Ames’ understanding of their own nonbinary identity has unlocked so much peace and joy within themselves, which has led them to give this talk. They are inspired by the kindness and strength of their loved ones, and how they find joy in the strangeness of life. Ames hopes that their speech can foster more love and understanding of genderqueer people.

Anne-Marie Abban-Demitrus (she/her)

Home country: Ghana

Anne-Marie is a biochemistry major and in her talk, “Stoic Psychotherapy: Development of a Novel Stoic Change to Therapy to Counter Stress Symptoms,” she will be discussing stoic psychotherapy and mediating stress symptoms specific to POC communities. Her inspiration for this talk derives from the discovery of the fact that African Americans in particular had stress-induced pre-existing conditions that put them at a higher risk for contracting COVID-19. She will be exploring how new psychotherapy developed from the principles of stoic philosophy could be used to mitigate these stress symptoms. Anne-Marie’s inspiration in her life is herself!

Milind Joshi (he/him)

Hometown: Pune, India

Milind is a biochemistry major and in his talk, “Breaking Boundaries: Contextualizing the International Experience,” he will be exploring the international student experience. As a senior international student, Milind wants to take this time to reflect on his many experiences with breaking boundaries, from the time he entered Vassar to today. In addition to that, he wants to represent the South Asian and international communities, and bring to light the lack of South Asian representation on this campus.

Danielle Ncube (they/she)

Hometown: Bromsgrove, England

Danielle is an economics and and Africana Studies double major. In their talk titled “Looking to a Radical Unknown,” Danielle will be realizing the power of not being a big radical thinker and the unknown power in everyday decisions. She wants to address this topic because of the exhaustion that has derived from the current tumultuous political climate. Danielle is inspired by their mom, who
has gotten her where she is today.

Miku Migita (she/her)

Hometown: Tokyo, Japan

 

Miku is a drama and religion double major, and in her talk, “What is Home? Navigating the In-Between,” she will be discussing the concept of home. Being an international student, she has been thinking about home a lot amidst the pandemic, so this topic seemed fitting. She also wanted to talk about WandaVision. Miku is most inspired by music!