Voices are breaking the silence, and their courage is rewriting the future.
Christiana Okonta (Class of 2029, Nigeria)
After listening in complete silence and with rapt attention to first-year student Christiana Okonta, the audience at this year’s EARTH Talks offered two heartfelt rounds of applause. Her presentation, Scars and Voices, which addressed female genital mutilation (FGM), was one of the most impactful and thought-provoking moments of the eighth edition of this event.
EARTH Talks is inspired by the international organization TED Talks, which hosts presentations based on the conviction that “Ideas Change Everything“. The version at EARTH University goes a step further: it emphasizes that these ideas must be cultivated through critical thinking and communicated with power.
EARTH Talks originated as part of the communication courses under the leadership of professor Heidy Arce Quesada. “We created these spaces to give people a voice, a platform where they can express what they believe and think, using proper technique and an appropriate framework,” she explains.
Although Christiana describes herself as shy, she delivered an impressive presentation. The talk was developed for the Professional Communication course, in which students practice and present their messages to various audiences. During a TED-style simulation, the EARTH Talks Committee heard Christiana’s presentation and awarded her a “golden ticket” directly to the main event.
With both sensitivity and power, Christiana spoke about female genital mutilation, a form of violence that has affected more than 230 million women and girls primarily in Africa and Asia, according to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). “I come from a remote place. People there aren’t yet ready to talk about this,” she noted, reflecting on her desire to address a practice that is very much a part of her reality back home in Nigeria.
“[EARTH Talks] gives me the opportunity to tell people on the other side of the world about something they might not be aware of, but something I believe they should know about. This is a global issue. If it affects one person, it affects us all. This is happening to women, who are the guardians of life“.
There are voices that transform pain into power. The scars remain, but the voices can heal.
Christiana Okonta (Class of 2029, Nigeria)
Professor Arce highlighted that fostering critical thinking is urgent in today’s society. “Articulating an idea is the culmination of a deep thought process; you have to put in the work, take a side, and adopt a clear position so that you can stand before others and express it with confidence. The world is lacking this. We need to work on critical thinking, and this is one way to do it. I stress this often: use your voice. Your voice is powerful,” she states.
Stepping out of our comfort zone every day helps us become a better version of ourselves.
Ed Dudley Dumont (Class of 2026, Haiti)
The 10 presentations at EARTH Talks explored a variety of topics including financial mistakes made through emotional spending, essentially “buying love”; the importance of being curious; the five essentials for a writer; and the invisible differences experienced by neurodivergent individuals.
Fear is part of the journey.
Antony Juárez Villalobos (Staff Member, Community Development Program - CDP)
We are so busy chasing success that we forget that the very act of walking the path is, in itself, something significant.
Ana Carolina Oliveira (Professor of Entrepreneurial Projects)
Attention is the currency of the 21st century.
Esteban Soto García (Class of 2026, Guatemala)
For his talk, student Esteban Soto began with a self-critical reflection, questioning the excessive and often addictive use of mobile phones and social media. He then offered a twist, suggesting that we “transform this ‘attention economy’ into what it should have always been: an ‘economy of love’, love as a transcendental force that makes us feel truly alive“.
With graduation only a few months away, Esteban emphasized that it’s possible to harness algorithms and digital information for positive means, rather than becoming “zombies” while using electronic devices. He stressed the importance of sharing this idea with family, friends, and other communities. EARTH Talks amplifies such outreach.
“If 50 out of the 100 people who were here share this with others, the circle continues to grow. It’s been a valuable experience for me to craft a presentation that isn’t boring, one that engages the audience and resonates with them personally“, he concluded, following his debut at the event.
EARTH Talks will move forward to its next edition with new ideas: offering a greater diversity of voices, improving the live broadcast, and generating a new space for debate. Yet, at its core, it will continue to focus on strengthening students’ communication tools and the power of their voices.
