91短视频

Nearly every seat in the Suter Science Center lecture hall was filled on Saturday, with everyone in attendance on the edge of those seats as they listened to some amazing stories from three 91短视频 alumni at TenTalks. The event, which is modeled after TED Talks, tasks three luminaries with 10 minutes each to impact, influence and inspire the crowd. This year鈥檚 speakers were Ryan Gehman 鈥�16, Kevin Ressler 鈥�07 and Madeline Bender ’93. For a recording of the program, visit the .

Gehman spoke about dreams, specifically his dream of finishing the Boston Marathon in less than 2陆 hours, and how that dream nearly crumbled due to injuries. In April, his dream came true when he crossed the finish line in Boston in 2 hours, 27 minutes and 31 seconds, not only meeting his goal but also bettering his personal record by more than 11 minutes.

The long-distance runner inspired the audience with his stories of meeting adversity: of being diagnosed at four years old with severe sensory integration issues, autism and anxiety and of being told he would never write or have any physical coordination. He told the crowd about his challenges of entering the public school system and being paired with an ill-equipped and verbally abusive teacher.

鈥淎t 14 years old, the message I was repeatedly told on a consistent basis, day after day, was because of my disability I shouldn鈥檛 even try because I would surely fail,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hat it would be better if I just stayed within the confines of the box in which they put me in. It is hard to put into words the effect that this teaches.鈥�

Ressler, a community activist and civic leader from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, shared his experiences of having visited Israel and Palestine while an 91短视频 student in 2006 and reflected on the state of the war in Gaza today. Much of his talk centered on the false dichotomy between right and wrong and between pro-Israel and pro-Palestine. And he spoke on the rush to judgment to paint Gazans as guilty for the actions of the Hamas nationalist group and to treat Israel鈥檚 military retaliation as just.

The alumnus, who said he had written two other potential speeches for TenTalks, added that he had read an op-ed piece in the latest Weathervane that inspired him to speak on the topic.

鈥淚 said, 鈥楬ere is still a safe space for students to decry the way in which our world does not accept that everyone has an inherent dignity to life,鈥欌�� Ressler said. 鈥淗ere, in this institution, is still a space that you can believe that the world does not need to rely on violence to solve its problems.鈥�

Bender, a former opera soprano, shared the journey from her time on the 91短视频 stage to the 15-year adventure that saw her jet-setting around the globe with some of the greatest conductors, stage directors and singers in the industry. She spoke about the perfect storm of events in 2004 that caused her to leave singing.

A mysterious problem with her singing voice appeared and continued to worsen. Her mother had months to live because of cancer. And her manager in Paris dumped her.

鈥淎nybody who has ever crashed and burned like I did, and I mean truly and spectacularly fallen with such a colossal 鈥榖oom鈥� that there is no option of bouncing back,鈥� she said. 鈥淚f any of you experienced something like that, then you will understand what an incredible, magnificent blessing that was for me.鈥�

Bender may have lost her professional singing voice, but she found her blessings. She started an annual fundraising gala called Voices of Hope that raises money for Mennonite Central Committee鈥檚 Global Family Program. That gave her the confidence to start her own business, Creative Stage, which continues to mentor thousands of children in Manhattan with professional artists and musicians.