Within days of being posted online, entrepreneur and attorney Olga Mack’s TEDx talk at University of the Pacific started racking up thousands of views. One month later it now has more than 100,000.

Mack—who gave a talk on evolving alongside artificial intelligence—was one of 11 speakers selected to share “ideas worth spreading” at Pacific’s inaugural TEDxUoPacific event held in April in Faye Spanos Concert Hall.

Several of the talks have since been shared on the TEDx Talks YouTube page, which has more than 40 million subscribers. See the featured speakers.

TEDx events bring together thought leaders and innovators to spark deep conservations, educate the community and inspire people to take action.

Other talks at Pacific covered everything from how emotional intelligence can enhance education to embracing neurodivergence.

“The experience was amazing,” said Benerd graduate student Jovan Pulido ’25, the only student selected to present. His talk focused on building perseverance and resilience.

“There were a lot of students from Pacific who came up to me afterwards to talk about it,” Pulido said. “It was really cool to engage with other students and see their reaction to my story and how they related. I felt excited to learn it impacted other people in the way I wanted it to.”

TEDx events are licensed by TED and organized locally to bring the spirit of TED to communities around the country.

Watch the video for highlights from TEDxUoPacific. Speaker proposals are now being accepted for next year’s event, which will take place April 12, 2025, on the Stockton Campus.