x = independently organized TED event

You’ve heard of the talks. Now take that concept and center it in UCIrvine.

Voila! That’s us.

We’re one of many branches of the TEDx program, which seeks to uplift voices within local communities. Our events are self-organized, but sponsored by TED and embody the same spirit of sharing ideas worth spreading. With live speakers taking the stage, we aim to provide platforms for those who may not always get the opportunity and spark meaningful discussion to be remembered.

This independent TEDx event is operated under license from TED.

We bring together our community’s leading thinkers and doers to share ideas that matter in any discipline.

Schrodinger's Cat

2025 conference speakers

Marcos J. Perez is a second-year aerospace engineering student at UC Irvine, passionate about understanding the mind as much as the mechanics of flight. When he’s not designing rocket propulsion systems, he’s diving deep into topics like consciousness, intuition, and how we learn. Outside of engineering, Marcos enjoys playing piano, soccer, and basketball—always exploring new ways to challenge the mind and body. His TEDx Talk reflects on the quiet intelligence of intuition, and how reconnecting with it can lead us to deeper understanding, more authentic learning, and a richer experience of being human.

Santiago Rivera (M.F.A.) is a dance artist, educator, and choreographer from Los Angeles, CA. They earned their M.F.A. in Dance from California State University, Long Beach, a B.A. in Drama with a minor in Educational Studies from the University of California, Irvine, and an A.A. in Dance with a Dance Instructor Certificate of Achievement from Orange Coast College. Santiago also completed the José Limón Technique Certification Program. Their work interrogates the erasure of closeted queer Latine and BIPOC identities in institutional dance spaces. Santiago teaches at Cypress College and San Bernardino Valley College, is on faculty for the Young Choreographers Project, and serves as a guest artist in residence at Irvine Valley College.

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Intro

Aneri Bhargav Patel is a fourth-year medical student at the UC Davis School of Medicine, currently completing a research fellowship in Oncodermatology at UC Irvine. She has developed learning resources for the medical curriculum relating to microbiology and mentored several students navigating the path from community college to medical school. Aneri was elected to the Gold Humanism Honor Society for her commitment to compassionate care and humanism in medicine. Her research interests include cancer immunotherapy, dermatologic toxicities, and AI in medicine, with work presented at medical conferences and published in peer-reviewed journals. Outside the clinic and lab, she finds joy in glass painting, photographing nature, and using improv to make medical education more engaging.

Dr. Kalaki Clarke is a board-certified Family Medicine physician and alumna of the UCI Family Medicine Residency Program. She returns to the very campus where she watched her first TEDx talk—and became aware of her ADHD diagnosis during medical training—now stepping onto the red dot with a story only she can tell. Blending science, story, and soul, Dr. Clarke challenges how we define potential and invites audiences to see the mind through a radically compassionate lens. Her talk doesn’t just inform—it transforms.

Amrit is a Business Operations professional who has worked with global technology companies, driving strategic projects and large growth initiatives. A chemical engineer from Indian Institute of Technology and an MBA from UCI Paul Merage School of Business with a stellar academic record, she has always loved reading and writing fiction. When she’s not driving her daughters to golf on busy freeways, and sometimes even while doing so, Amrit contemplates deeply, and often restlessly, about the world we live in and about the next book she will read. Her debut novel, Gilded Spirits, will be released in Fall 2025. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband and twin daughters.

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Intro

Marcos J. Perez

Marcos J. Perez is a second-year aerospace engineering student at UC Irvine, passionate about understanding the mind as much as the mechanics of flight. When he’s not designing rocket propulsion systems, he’s diving deep into topics like consciousness, intuition, and how we learn. Outside of engineering, Marcos enjoys playing piano, soccer, and basketball—always exploring new ways to challenge the mind and body. His TEDx Talk reflects on the quiet intelligence of intuition, and how reconnecting with it can lead us to deeper understanding, more authentic learning, and a richer experience of being human.