Alumni Jodie Geddes, Anxo é and Trent Wagler will be the featured speakers at TenTalks during 91Ƶ's Homecoming and Family Weekend. TenTalks is based on the premise of TedTalks, in which speakers present for 10 minutes and then answer questions afterwards. 91ƵTenTalks will be at 2 p.m. on Saturday, October 14, 2017, in the MainStage Theater in the University Commons.

TenTalks, featuring accomplished alumni, returns to amaze and inspire at Homecoming and Family Weekend

The second annual 91ƵTenTalks during this fall will showcase restorative justice practitioner and slam poet Jodie Geddes MA ‘16, entrepreneur Anxo é ‘97 and musician Trent Wagler ‘02. Each will give a 10-minute talk and then answer questions, a format based on the popular TED Talks.

91ƵTenTalks will be at 2 p.m. on Saturday, October 14, 2017, in the MainStage Theater in the University Commons.

91ƵTenTalks returns after a successful inaugural event. “Our first ever 91ƵTenTalks was a huge success at last year’s Homecoming and Family Weekend, with standing room only in our MainStage Theater,” said , director of alumni and parent engagement. “We are really excited to welcome three new talented people to this year’s event. The format for the 91ƵTenTalks creates an inspiring environment for all who attend.”

Slam poet for a cultural shift

ұ graduated from 91Ƶ’s with an MA in conflict transformation in 2016. A Jamaican native who grew up in Brooklyn, New York, and now lives in Oakland, California, Geddes uses her story as a catalyst for transforming systems. She is the community organizing coordinator at , where she works with CJP adjunct instructor and social activist Fania Davis. She is also vice president of the board of managers for , and has received numerous awards for her activism and organizing.

’88 Steps to Success’

é has been named 91Ƶ’s 2017 Alumnus of the Year for accomplishments in his profession. é founded and runs , an internet-based language-learning program. The author of and a popular speaker with the message “Don’t admire success, admire effort,” é has given some 400 keynotes on five continents, including a , and was honored with a “European Citizen” award from in 2014 and recognition by the magazine Emprendedores in 2015 as “the entrepreneur whose trajectory has been especially outstanding in recent months.” é earned a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts with minors in music and English as a second language.

One-of-a-kind lead vocal

Wagler is a professional touring musician with Americana roots band , which since 2010 has released five studio albums and toured internationally and across the United States, building a community of fans and partners everywhere they go. Wagler plays guitar and banjo and writes songs that have earned the band numerous awards and placements on best-of lists. In 2013, The Steel Wheels helped found the in Mt. Solon, Virginia, to cultivate and celebrate great music in the Shenandoah Valley. Wagler majored in theater and justice, peace, and conflict studies at 91Ƶ.