…and if he doesn’t, then his founders, Kamrin Klauschie and José Ramos will.
Kamrin is a fourth year International Studies major who was extremely involved on campus. She
was in charge of the Vendor Fair, founded ASUCI’s Farmer’s Market, organized Care-a-thon,
and was an integral part of so many other organizations. She left most of those extra-curriculars
behind for TED which monopolizes her time now. It is evident that TED is where her passions
lay; she gained an air of confidence whenever she spoke of TED and pride laced her tone. When
asked about her other accomplishments, she didn’t even bother going through the extensive list
and told me “TED is what matters now.” It is extremely refreshing to see someone so absorbed
something so inspiring purely because it means so much to her. Kamrin wishes to pursue a job
in business marketing, which she is fit to do as demonstrated by her extensive people skills, and
hopes to eventually start her own charity-business.
José is a third year civil engineer major who came across TED during a class when Professor
Eppel showed his class a TED talk. When he speaks of TED something changes about him as
well; he becomes more relaxed and almost giddy when he talks of their inspirational power. As
if his caring heart wasn’t enough to draw a girl in, his involvement on campus is. He is affiliated
with Sigma Alpha Epsilon, a community assistant for Visa Del Campo Norté, and a former captain
of the club soccer team. He hopes to find a way to balance his passions for civil engineering and
inspiring others as TED has done for him.
So you’re probably still wondering what TED is and how it captured the hearts of two charming
individuals so thoroughly, right? Well, I hate to disappoint you but TED isn’t a person, but rather
an idea. TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design but the real concept propagating it
is its motto “Ideas Worth Spreading.” TED is an international organization that focuses on the
ability of ideas to spark change in the individual, the community, and even the world.
TED began in 1984 with a conference where a multitude of inspiring individuals present their
ideas to other prominent individuals such as Bill Gates and Bill Clinton. Kamrin and José are
currently working on the planning of the inaugural TEDxUCIrvine event on March 3, 2012 at
the Claire Trevor School of Arts. TEDxUCIrvine is a local extension of the annual TED talks
and its inaugural theme revolves around UCI: Under Construction Indefinitely. There will be
three sessions of talks, each with a different theme revolving around innovation: Building a
Sustainable Future which focuses on problem solving, Building a Better World which revolves
around globalization, and Building UCI Pride which focuses on us, the students of the campus.
All three contribute to the overarching theme Under Construction Indefinitely.
You’re probably wondering why Kamrin and José picked that theme, so did the faculty. They
were shocked at and somewhat disapproving of the seemingly negative theme. It wasn’t until
the duo explained their idea behind it which came from an inside joke among UCI tour guides.
As many of you are familiar with the construction that continues around campus, you can see
that UCI’s campus is literally under construction, but all the tour guides joke that it is going on
indefinitely. Kamrin and José view it differently, they are putting a positive and inspiring spin
on it. They believe that everything is under construction indefinitely because without constant
change, there can be no progress. Once the metaphorical construction is done, then humanity
will be in a state of stasis. The two emphasize the importance of continual growth among UCI
Anteaters and hope their conference conveys that ideal.
They have gathered prominent and inspirational speakers for TEDxUCIrinve who are all
affiliated in some way to UCI, whether they be current students or alumni such as Sam Shaw who
founded the dodge ball record breaking attempts or current UCI faculty such as the Dean of the
Law School, Erwin Chemerinsky. 150 UCI students have the opportunity to attend this inaugural
event for free by visiting http://www.amiando.com/TEDxUCIrvine.html and filling out a form.
As if hearing the speakers talk was alluring enough, it would be beneficial to meet and speak
with the inspiring founders, Kamrin and José.
They were so lovely to speak with and so down to earth that they didn’t really want to be the
featured celebrity. They were hoping that by accepting the title, TEDxUCIrvine would implicitly
inherit the title of this week’s Campus Celebrity. But I feel that their desire to avoid the spotlight
and focus on their cause is precisely what earns them the title of Campus Celebrities. Their
hearts and time are completely invested in TEDxUCIrvine and their dedication is what makes
them so wonderful.