NMIX4012: TEDxUGA Case Study:

What It Means to Curate, Not Just Create

Project Date: Spring 2026

Role: Student Curator

Project Overview: TEDxUGA is a student-led event at the University of Georgia that brings together speakers to share ideas worth spreading on a live stage. As part of this course, I worked as a student curator, collaborating one-on-one with a speaker to develop and refine their TED Talk from early concept to final delivery. This included shaping narrative structure using principles from Nancy Duarte’s Resonate, editing scripts, supporting slide development, and assisting with rehearsal and stage preparation. In addition to speaker curation, I also contributed to event production tasks that supported the execution of a live, large-scale conference experience.

TEDxUGA Group Photo

When people think about TED Talks, they usually think about the person on stage. What they don’t see is everything and everyone behind it. This semester, as part of my TEDxUGA course, I experienced that side firsthand. Not as a speaker, but as a student curator, someone responsible for helping shape a talk before it ever reaches an audience. That role turned out to be much more collaborative, detailed, and unpredictable than I expected.

Resonate — Duarte & The Hero’s Journey

Before working with a speaker, we were introduced to Resonate by Nancy Duarte, a framework that breaks down what makes a talk impactful. I learned that strong talks are not just built on good ideas. They are shaped through structure, contrast, and emotional progression, moving between “what is” and “what could be.” Understanding these principles was important, but the real challenge was applying them to someone else’s story. Curating a talk is not about rewriting it. It is about refining it while preserving the speaker’s voice and intent.

Dyci Sfregola

I was paired with Dyci Sfregola, whose talk, “How to Redesign the World — One Supply Chain at a Time,” focused on rethinking the systems we rely on every day but rarely notice. From the beginning, working with her felt like a collaborative process. I helped refine her script, shape the flow of her ideas, and contributed to developing the final title of her talk. I attended practice sessions, supported her through delivery, and provided feedback when needed. I also helped worked on her slides, ensuring each visual directly supported what she was saying rather than distracting from it. Every decision, even the smaller ones, mattered in how the talk came together. Beyond the content itself, I also supported her through the preparation process, from rehearsals to stage readiness, including considerations like pacing, confidence, and presentation presence.

Setting up lanyards; Practicing presentations with Dyci; Selling T-shirts

When the TEDxUGA event finally arrived, everything we had worked on came together. It was not just about the talks themselves. I also supported the event production, including tasks like assembling lanyards and helping organize and sell T-shirts throughout the event.

One of the final components of the course pushed me into a completely different role. After weeks of helping someone else prepare for the stage, I had to step onto it myself. I delivered a six-minute TED-style talk about how beliefs spread online, not necessarily because they are true, but because they are shared. Even in a smaller room, the experience was still intimidating. In some ways, it felt just as high pressure as what our main speakers experienced. But it also gave me a different perspective. I experienced firsthand how much structure, storytelling, and intentional delivery matter when shaping an idea into something clear and engaging. It also made me realize how much preparation happens behind what looks effortless on stage.

Me & Dyci post TED talk; Group Photo with TEDxUGA friends; Fun group photo

This experience changed how I think about communication. Not just in public speaking, but in how ideas are built and shared. Being a student curator showed me that impactful storytelling is rarely a solo process. It is collaborative, iterative, and requires both creativity and restraint. Most importantly, it made it clear that behind every strong talk is a team of people shaping, refining, and supporting the final message. Getting to be part of that process was one of the most rewarding experiences of my master’s program!