Christina Haupt ’14 (a philosophy and studio art major from Rüschlikon, Zurich Switzerland) first came to APEX in a moment of desperation. She had been working to plan a TEDx event (an independently organized version of a TED conference, usually focused on a specific theme) on Wooster’s campus, but was struggling to find support for her project. She had already scheduled speakers for her event and the deadline was approaching quickly, so she decided to come to the Center for Entrepreneurship for guidance. With the help of Director for Entrepreneurship Peter Abramo, she was able to organize her event and successfully host it in March of 2013. “I had the idea, I had the drive, but I was missing the ingredient to make it happen,” Christina said. “Entrepreneurship taught me about those different components.”
After her first experience with TEDx, Christina applied to attend the TEDGlobal conference over the summer of 2013. When she was accepted, she requested and received funding from the Center for Entrepreneurship to help with her travel costs and entry fee. The global conference helped Christina envision a second TEDx talk for Wooster’s campus, which she successfully organized around the theme “Double Take.” This year’s TEDx featured nine speakers who helped people take another look at something they thought was familiar but which turns out to have new perspectives. Along with the speakers were two student musical performances that showcased some wonderful Wooster talent. As a senior, Christina will be moving on after this year but with the help of the student entrepreneurship club Launch, she has already found a person to manage TEDx after she has graduated.
By Madeleine O’Neill ’16