Current Speakers

Ginny Cooper

Feeding Recovery: The Missing Link in Addiction Treatment

Recovery from substance abuse is about more than just willpower—it’s also about rebuilding the body and mind. This talk highlights how simple, intentional nutrition choices can restore balance and support long lasting healing.

Ginny Cooper is a Senior majoring in Nutrition and Dietetics at the University of Delaware, whose work bridges scientific research and lived experience. Diagnosed with epilepsy as a child, she first encountered the power of “food as medicine” through the ketogenic diet. That early experience sparked a passion for exploring nutrition’s role in healing — a passion she now applies to the current substance abuse epidemic. On campus, Ginny has been a teaching assistant in health and behavioral science courses for three semesters.

In the field, Ginny has conducted research alongside Dr. Sheau Chai on the effects of diet and supplements on cognition, cardiovascular health and sleep, and has worked in private practice settings translating complex nutrition science into accessible guidance.

Drawing from personal resilience, research training and a drive to address public health crises, Ginny advocates for integrating nutrition therapy into addiction rehabilitation to support recovery and long-term health.

Michael DiPascale

My Rebuttal: College and the Case of Change

The security of sameness convinces us that change is dangerous. My rebuttal is that even our strongest beliefs must be tested—and sometimes overruled.​​ Unlikely relationships and my college testimonials taught me that listening isn’t a weakness but the foundation of growth.

Michael DiPascale is a junior at the University of Delaware, majoring in Cognitive Science and Spanish Studies with a minor in Philosophy. An engaged campus leader and civic collaborator, Michael serves as Mock Trial A-Team Captain, Resident Assistant and President of the Student Alumni Ambassadors, where he channels his passion for advocacy and community-building into impactful collaboration. Outside of his studies, Michael plays the tenor saxophone in the Wind and Jazz Ensembles at UD, using music as another means of language to connect with his peers and listeners.

During his time as an undergraduate student, Michael has partnered with professionals in the University of Delaware Career Center, Office of Student Diversity and Inclusion, Residents Life and Housing and Alumni Relations to transform Diversity, Equity and Inclusion from principle to practice. By moderating panels, peer-led conversations and crafting residence life programming, he fosters spaces where students feel seen, valued and empowered to lead. His approach reflects a belief that inclusive environments are co-authored through active listening, empathy and collective care to support our fellow humans.

Alexa Kitay

What if I Don’t Want to Recover? Exploring the Difference Between “Impossible and Uncomfortable”

Recovery is often portrayed as the obvious, empowering choice—something we should all want, once we’re “ready.” But what happens when you’re not? What if the eating disorder still feels safer than the unknown? In this talk, Alexa Kitay unpacks the rarely spoken truth: that sometimes, recovery doesn’t feel like freedom—it feels like loss. Loss of identity, control, purpose and familiarity. Drawing from her own journey, Alexa explores why the desire to recover isn’t always clear-cut, and why acknowledging ambivalence might be one of the most honest first steps toward healing.

Alexa Kitay is a junior in the Honors College at the University of Delaware, majoring in psychology with a minor in human development. She is a dedicated student, a proud member of the University’s equestrian team and a passionate advocate for mental health.

Her advocacy journey began in high school, where she delivered her first TEDx Talk on Dialectical Behavioral Therapy as a sophomore and founded U Matter, a mental health awareness club, as a senior. Since then, she has continued using her voice to inspire change—most recently speaking at a 2025 fundraiser for the National Alliance for Eating Disorders. Alexa also shares her story and resources on social media, building a platform dedicated to advocacy, awareness and recovery.

Rooted in her lived experience, Alexa’s mission is to help others feel seen, heard and supported. Guided by her values of purpose, empathy and connection, she is pursuing a path toward becoming a clinical psychologist—so she can be for others the person she once needed.

Kelsey Malloy

Main Character Syndrome, Climate Edition

Climate has always shaped human history and experience. In this talk, we’ll meet its many “characters,” from a formidable samurai warrior to a legendary party host.

Kelsey Malloy, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of Climatology in the Department of Geography and Spatial Sciences. Her research focuses on the intersection of weather and climate, such as identifying drivers of predictable climate variability, examining how climate influences extreme weather, and advancing the real-world applications of climate science. Dr. Malloy is also an experienced climate science communicator. She co-founded Seasoned Chaos, a blog that explains climate forecasting topics in an engaging format for diverse audiences and has reached over 10,000 readers. She has developed educational and outreach materials for K-12 classrooms, university students and the general public.  On the TEDxUniversityofDelaware stage, she aims to share climate science through storytelling of climate’s fingerprint on human history and how modern climate change is both a unique, critical challenge and defining opportunity for society.

Charlotte Walder

“What… Happened?” Rethinking Disability Beyond the Medical Narrative

In this talk, Charlotte challenges assumptions about disability through their story of paralysis, identity and self-acceptance. Blending humor, vulnerability and insight, they invite audiences to reconsider what it means to live a disabled life—not as a tragedy, but as a vibrant, joyful and radical act of empowerment.

Charlotte Walder is an undergraduate honors student studying psychology, sociology and disability studies at the University of Delaware. Their work centers on the empowerment of disabled individuals and examines how disability intersects with mental and physical health, voting accessibility and broader systems of social and civil equity. Charlotte has served as a poll monitor through the CLASI Disabilities Law Program during the 2024 presidential election, a Social Seminar instructor with the CLSC program supporting neurodivergent students with interpersonal connection on campus and a mentor in the UDiscover Program, helping disabled high school students explore future careers and educational paths. Charlotte has also studied abroad in Thailand, gaining a global perspective on accessibility policy and inclusion. Outside of their studies, Charlotte serves as the Student Representative for E-52 Student Theater, the Philanthropic Event Coordinator for Alpha Phi Omega in partnership with Nemours Children’s Hospital, and an active member of the Access:Ability Scholars program. They are honored to share their story on the TEDxUniversityofDelaware stage and invite others to reimagine how disability shapes—and strengthens—our communities.

Leah Wentnick

Rethinking Mental Health Advocacy: Helping Others Save Themselves

We are told, “You’re not alone.” We see the Instagram graphics. We are reminded of the resources available to us.

But how effective is this surface-level advocacy when it fades just weeks after a suicide hits close to us? How effective is it when we continue using stigmatizing language in everyday conversations? This talk examines the subtle yet powerful harm of desensitizing ourselves to suicide through the words we choose. True suicide prevention begins with the simplest form of human interaction: face-to-face conversations.

Leah Wentnick is a junior at the University of Delaware, double majoring in Psychology and Public Policy. As an Honors student, Leah brings her passion for storytelling and advocacy into every space she enters — from leading campus tours as the Recruitment Coordinator for the Blue Hen Ambassadors to fostering sisterhood and engaging in philanthropy through Alpha Epsilon Phi.

Based on her own lived experience, Leah has spent years advocating for mental health awareness and suicide prevention. She has worked with national organizations including Bring Change to Mind, The Hidden Opponent and NAMI NJ, and volunteers locally with Sean’s House, a mental health safe haven on campus. Through these efforts, she has become a compassionate and urgent voice for young people facing mental health challenges.

Leah plans to pursue a career in national mental health policy, and is committed to reducing stigma, expanding access to care, and ensuring that conversations around mental health and suicide are met with empathy, action and lasting change.

William Woelki

FosterED: The Realities of College for Youth with Foster Care Experience

College is supposed to be about finding yourself—but what if you arrive on campus not knowing what a syllabus is and never having heard of shower shoes? For youth with foster care experience, the road through higher education is a rollercoaster filled with unexpected turns: financial hurdles, constant transitions and the pressure of doing it all without a safety net. This talk goes beyond the statistics to share the lived reality of earning a degree while navigating a system never designed with you in mind.

William Woelki is a Ph.D. candidate in Human Development and Family Sciences at the University of Delaware, where he studies how youth with foster care experience navigate the transition to adulthood. A former foster youth himself, William brings together academic research and lived experience to confront systemic barriers and amplify youth voice. His work centers participatory action research and community-engaged approaches to policy and practice. He is also the founder of See You Backpacks, a mutual aid initiative that provides care backpacks to individuals experiencing housing instability. William is committed to building a future where no young person is made invisible by the very systems meant to support them.

Alexandra Wynn and Yendelela Cuffee, PhD

Defunding Truth: The Real Cost of Ignoring Marginalized Voices in Research

Research driven by and for marginalized communities is under attack. Efforts to defund and censor science, researchers of color, and vulnerable communities themselves will weaken the systems that protect everyone’s health. Our proposed TEDx Talk will explore how to foster community strength and capital to continue equitable, community-driven health research.

Dr. Alexandra Wynn is a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Epidemiology at the University of Delaware (UD). She earned her Ph.D. in Health Psychology from Virginia Commonwealth University, where her research focused on health equity, health disparities, and community engagement. Dr. Wynn uses mixed methods to explore barriers and facilitators to preventive health services among Black emerging adults. Currently, she leads the Delaware State Health Improvement Plan (SHIP), a five-year strategic initiative developed in partnership with UD, the Delaware Division of Public Health (DPH), and a statewide coalition to reduce health disparities and expand access to care.

Dr. Yendelela Cuffee is an Associate Professor of Epidemiology and the Associate Director of Scholarship and Research for the Partnership for Healthy Communities at the University of Delaware. She has over ten years of experience conducting research and evaluation in academia and as a healthcare consultant. Dr. Cuffee conducts quantitative research examining the impact of psychosocial and behavioral correlates such as discrimination, home remedy use and spirituality on medication adherence and cardiovascular disease in the Black community. She applies qualitative and mixed methods approaches, such as narrative inquiry, to promote lifestyle and behavioral change among individuals diagnosed with hypertension.