Conference Encourages "Limitless" Thinking
Shake off limitations. Decide that the circumstances you grew up in do not need to determine who you become. Realize that nothing can limit you from achieving your goals.
These are some of the ideas the 12-member student board for the International Perspectives Conference (IPC) discussed while developing this year’s conference, titled “Limitless,” which encourages finding freedom from self-imposed limitations and systemic injustices. They sought perspectives from all regions of the world in an effort to reflect the diversity on campus. As a result, speakers will come from as far away as Swaziland for the conference, held Thursday through Saturday, October 4–6.
Conference Co-director Ronalyn Tiw-ac, a senior from the Philippines, emphasizes that the event is designed to develop a willingness to bring about change: “Speakers will explore ideas about acting with courage and having impact. I hope the event will give all of us the opportunity to empower others.”
Nobel Peace Prize nominee Sulaiman Khatib, co-director of Combatants for Peace, a grassroots nonviolence movement in Israel and Palestine, will give the keynote address. Other speakers include Mark McCurties, CS (C’02), who will give a talk for the Exploring Metaphysical Concepts weekly program; Annenberg Scholar Killian Stokes, entrepreneur and co-founder of Moyee Coffee Ireland; Selina Leem, the youngest delegate to serve at the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris; and Patricia McFadden, an anti-apartheid activist based in Swaziland.
During last spring semester and the early weeks of this term, the IPC Board hosted a variety of workshops and events, including an interactive session with Janessa Gans Wilder (C’98), founder of the Euphrates Institute; treat nights with mandazi (Kenyan donuts) and Filipino mango floats; and social media contests. IPC Board members have also been working with Dining Services to plan a celebration of flavors from around the world during the conference.
“The event is designed to promote inclusivity in the campus community,” says Co-director Jenita Arini, a senior from Indonesia, noting that the board includes students from the Philippines, Indonesia, Rwanda, Colombia, Germany, and Canada, as well as the U.S. “We hope to help students realize that they could make a change for the better right where they are.”
The conference is free and open to the public. See the full schedule, listen on Principia Internet Radio, or watch a livestream.