Student Speaker12:20
The world is more reachable than you think
Ethan Shneyderman · Junior, Mayfield High School
Six hundred letters from embassies, a Prime Minister, and a grocery store, and why the story was never about who wrote back.
Watch
Twelve talks. One afternoon. Now yours.
Everything from the stage at Gund Auditorium on August 22, 2026. All twelve talks are the official versions published by TED on the TEDx Talks channel. Watch the complete event two ways: the extended recording with every introduction and Q&A, or the twelve official talks back to back.
The complete event
4:22:20 · Pick a chapter to jump straight to it
Chapters
Session 1
The student speakers
Six students from six schools across Greater Cleveland, selected through an open competition on the strength of the idea alone, and introduced exactly the way every adult was. Official TEDx Talks versions.
Student Speaker13:55
Feed billions, kill millions: The tragedy of Fritz Haber
Jackson Sarver · Senior, Aurora High School
A war over bird poop, the chemist who fed half of humanity, and the dark side of the same molecule.
Student Speaker14:00
Where do we draw the line? Gerrymandering and democracy
Claire Witalec · Rising junior, Laurel School
The invisible lines on the map that decide elections before a vote is cast.
Student Speaker14:25
How efficiency erodes empathy
Priyasha Ghosal · Sophomore, Hawken School
The human labor hidden behind every “place order” button.
Student Speaker11:45
The Ads on Your Phone Are Making You Mow Your Lawn
Gage Martin · Senior, Louisville High School
Why you mow your lawn every Sunday, and the false needs somebody sold you.
Student Speaker15:07
It’s About What You Say, Not How You Say It
James Mason Jr. · Senior, University School
Code switching, W.E.B. Du Bois, and the cost of hiding your own voice.
Session 2
The adult speakers
Six leaders from Cleveland sports, law, business, hospitality, and the port, sharing the same stage and the same standard as the students who went first. Official TEDx Talks versions.
Speaker17:37
You’ll See It When You Believe It
Nic Barlage · CEO, Cleveland Cavaliers & Rock Entertainment Group
Purpose as the engine, and the bet on downtown Cleveland.
Speaker12:03
Breaking Out
Brandon Chrostowski · Founder, President & CEO, EDWINS Leadership & Restaurant Institute
Same human, same prison, different engine, different result.
Speaker12:37
Are you a battery charger?
Marc Byrnes · Chairman Emeritus, Oswald Companies
Are you a battery charger or a battery drainer?
Speaker12:29
What happens before the applause
Laila Edwards · Olympic gold medalist, U.S. Women's National Ice Hockey Team
The practices nobody watched, and the final two minutes of a gold medal game.
Speaker21:18
The Infrastructure of Possibility
Jeff Epstein · President and CEO, Port of Cleveland
An anchor, a jar of river mud, and a ship’s wheel: what the Port of Cleveland is, and what it could be.
Speaker17:57
EQ: The Difference Maker in Winning High-Stakes Engagements
Fred Nance · Senior Partner, Squire Patton Boggs
The secret weapon behind the Browns, LeBron, and 40 years of fights for Cleveland.
Ideas worth spreading
The best thing you can do with a good idea is pass it on.
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Questions, press, or a speaker you would like to reach? tedxhuntingvalley@gmail.com