On April 14, a TEDx event themed “Determination” will be held at the Performing Arts Center from 12 to 5:30 p.m. and will feature eleven speakers.
Cal Poly’s head football athletic trainer Prince Williams and Amanda Holder organized the event. This annual event started in 2016 was previously been student run, but Williams and Holder took on the license for the Tedx event after the students let the license lapse in 2023.
According to Holder, Williams initially came up with the theme of determination. Williams works with athletes at Cal Poly and, according to Holder, William’s role is all about finding strategies for success in life whether someone is an athlete or a business professional.
“[The theme is] really is about never giving up, you know, keeping going one step at a time, or when the going gets tough, you know, you just keep going.
“Really the whole goal of this event is to give people strategies that they can use as it relates to, you know, keeping going in their lives,” Holder said.
Holder and Williams interviewed around 40 or 50 speakers before they went with the eleven selected. They wanted to choose people who align with the themes of determination. The keynote speaker, author and CEO of the Grit Institute Shannon Huffman Polson, reached out to the organizers when she saw that they were looking for a speaker to talk about determination for the event.
“I knew that there was an immediate fit, and I was thrilled to be able to reach out and have the chance to talk with them,” Polson said.
According to Polson, she has spoken around the world for a living to companies and organizations about grit, resilience, leadership and purpose. This is her first TedX event.
“My background is one of the first women to fly the Apache helicopter in the United States Army,” Polson said. “And I have been working in the leadership field now for over a decade. And so I am bringing a new idea. It’s not a new idea completely for me, but it’s part of what I’ve called the grit triad or the grit factor.”
Polson said that she has not previously been to Cal Poly or San Luis Obispo. She also said she is excited to meet the people who come to listen to her talk.
“Amanda and Prince have put together an incredible lineup and an incredible event and every speaker would love to have that message spread to the broader world so that we can all help to rise together,” Polson said.
Tickets for students are $17 for students and $62 for non-students. There are also 100 VIP tickets available for $115 that includes a meet and greet with the speakers and sponsors at Avila Beach on the evening of April 13 and seating in the Performing Arts Center at the event.
Updates about the event can be found on the Instagram account @tedx_sanluisobispo..