January 26, 2027 | 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. | Only 100 tickets available!
Don’t miss your chance to be at the first TEDxUWSuperior!

GRIT & GREATNESS

TEDxUWSuperior is coming to campus this January, bringing together eight speakers from UW-Superior and the surrounding community to share their stories, perspectives, and ideas. Save the date and join us for an inspiring day of TEDx talks and conversation!

From entrepreneurship and leadership to science, community, resilience, and creativity, these speakers bring a wide range of experiences and ideas to the TEDx stage.

Cost: $40

MEET THE SPEAKERS

Maria Cuzzo — Interim Chancellor

Colin Zervas — Uffda Kombucha

Yash Chhabra — UW-Superior Student

Carver Harries — Community Member

Ryan Reid — Public Defender

Val Zhaawendaagozikwe — Recent UW-Superior Alum & Researcher

Oreoluwa Sofolahan — UW-Superior Student

“Final speaker will be announced soon!”

Speaker: Maria Cuzzo

Alzheimer’s Caregiving: The Unexpected Blessings of the Hardest Journey

This talk explores six unexpected blessings that the speaker has learned through a nearly seven-year journey of caregiving with her 90 year-old mother who lives with Alzheimer’s.  Although devastating, Alzheimer’s has offered some profound experiences and insights that has allowed the speaker to be a better caregiver and to grow as a human being.

Speaker: Colin Zervas

Just Keep Brewing

“Just Jeep Brewing” is about what it really takes to build something from the ground up when the path forward is anything but clear. Through the story of building a kombucha company: the failures, long hours, unexpected problems, small victories, and moments when giving up would have been easier. I’ll explore how persistence and the willingness to simply solve the next problem can carry us further than having the perfect plan ever could. But perseverance isn’t a solo act. This talk is also about the family, friends, employees, customers, and community who keep us going when our own determination isn’t enough. My hope is to show that success isn’t about avoiding failure or having all the answers. It’s about continuing to learn, adapt, lean on others, and, when things get hard, keep brewing.

Speaker: Carver Harries

Grief and Other Mortal Superpowers

Loss is one of the few natural constants in our lives, yet we go to great lengths to avoid the pain of saying goodbye. Engaging with grief, reclaiming our lost joy, and willing ourselves to reimagine a new future requires us to experience grit on an entirely new level. 

Speaker: Ryan Reid

How I Can Defend Those People

Ryan’s talk discusses how growing up with service as an example, he brings that service perspective to public defense work. By looking at people as not just what they are charged with or the mistakes they have made - you start meeting their needs, mental health concerns, working on sobriety, educational needs, vocational needs, or just a chance to change. Bringing holistic defense to the practice works on recidivism, rehabilitation, and better people.

Speaker: Val Zhaawendaagozikwe

Indigenous Ways of Knowing: Culture and Living a Good Life

The knowledge we carry from our cultures belongs in science and can help us ask better questions and care for the world. Val's culture helped her find her way to sobriety, and it continues to shape how she approaches science. Your culture, teachings, and lived experience inform how you observe nature, what you study, and the responsibilities you bring to that work.

Speaker: Oreoluwa Sofolahan

Why We Need to Stop Agreeing with Each Other

We live in a world that increasingly tells us to choose a side: agree or oppose, us or them, but what if our obsession with agreement is holding us back? From scientific discovery to democracy and social change, progress has never depended on everyone thinking alike. It has depended on people willing to question, challenge, listen, and remain in conversation when disagreement becomes uncomfortable. In an increasingly polarized world, this talk explores why disagreement can be a catalyst for growth, and why the conversations we most want to avoid may be the ones we most need to have.”

Program CANCELLATION POLICY: The Center for Continuing Education strives to maintain scheduled programming. However, if minimum enrollment is not met ten (10) working days prior to the start of a program, we may need to cancel or reschedule that program.  There also may be times when a program needs to be cancelled or rescheduled due to weather, instructor illness or other unavoidable circumstances. Whether cancelled or rescheduled, you will be notified ASAP and your full fee will be refunded or applied to the rescheduled event, as you prefer.

PARTICIPANT CANCELLATION POLICY: In the event you need to cancel, we ask that you notify our office at least five (5) business days prior to the program. If notice of cancellation is received in our office less than five (5) business days prior to the program, you will be charged 40% of the cost of the program. If you fail to attend without cancelling your registration, you will be assessed the full workshop fee. You may transfer your registration to another person at any time.

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UW-Superior Continuing Education - 715.394.8469 - conted@uwsuper.edu