On May 21, six speakers from across the DePaul community, including a graduate student, alumni, faculty and staff, delivered powerful TEDx talks. The event was streamed live on Facebook and YouTube for the world to tune in and was hosted by associate professor in the Richard H. Driehaus College of Business, Jim Mourey. Each talk focused on the year's theme "The Unexpected," which explored how some of life's most important lessons are the ones that were unforeseen.

On April 12, nine speakers delivered powerful TEDx talks in front of a sold-out crowd of nearly 400 DePaul faculty, staff, students, alumni and local community members at the School of Music’s new Holtschneider Performance Center. Each speaker shared his or her innovative interpretation of the theme, “Fast Forward.” Attendees got an exclusive in-person look at the talks, received TEDx branded merchandise, participated in raffles from local eateries and hotels, watched graphic recording artists interpret each talk and networked with other idea-driven guests.

More than 200 faculty, staff, students, alumni and local community members came together on May 1, 2018, to experience DePaul University's third and largest TEDx event. Under the theme "Reimagine," 11 diverse presenters gave nine talks on topics ranging from marginalized communities in Chicago to unconditional self-worth and forgiveness in the wake of an attack.

Guests immersed themselves in these new ideas, not only through conversations and networking, but also through a variety of interactive engagement activities including music, meditation, balloon art and drawing. Attendees called this year's event "transformative," "necessary," "innovative," "eye-opening," "educational," "proud" and "inclusive," and 100 percent of the surveyed attendees said they would attend a future TEDxDePaulUniversity.

For the second year in a row, TEDxDePaulUniversity inspired more than 130 attendees and provoked important conversation within the DePaul community through the theme "Courage to Connect” on April 18, 2017.

The speakers, which included faculty, staff, students and alumni, spoke on a wide-range of illuminating topics from race and privilege to connection and hope. Each speaker spoke from a place of experience, sharing stories of hardship, difficult conversations, scholarship, and even war, making each talk personal and impactful.

With topics ranging from gentrification and refugees to battling homelessness and campaigning for nonviolence, speakers shared their personal stories and expertise through the theme, "What Must Be Done?" at TEDxDePaulUniversity on April 29, 2016.

The speakers at the event included faculty, staff, students and alumni. Their diverse range of powerful topics inspired many of the attendees and provoked important conversations within the community.