Written by: Therese Joffre, Website Manager
Michael is a senior at Hope College and is from Minneapolis, Minnesota. He is majoring in business and minoring in jazz studies. His talk's title is "How to live through music."
He chose to apply to become a part of the TEDxHopeCollege Speaker team because he wanted to share his perspective on the musicality of life that has helped him throughout both difficult and the best moments of his life. In addition, he wanted to serve others through his music and music philosophies. TEDx has also been one of Michael's favorite organizations, and wanted to take the opportunity to become a part of that global network.
TED and TEDx inspires Michael since they are at "the forefront of active listening." He is inspired "by any platform that creates a space for the entertainment and exploration of impactful ideas that can change lives and push others to be better human beings." For Michael, turning the tables means "shaking the foundations on which people stand in order for them to be more aware of the life they lead and how they serve and interact with others." He told us that he is most excited for the intermission during the event!
After graduation, Michael plans to work in West Michigan or Greater Chicago area to perform impact work before pursuing an MBA for International Economic Development. His dream job is to return back to Honduras, with resources and connections, to build strong high-impact systems that serve the community and push back against the current corrupted systems. His biggest irrational fear is losing his hands or hearing. Michael is most proud of the relationships he builds with people. The best choice he's ever made is picking up a guitar and writing his first song. With that, he is always open to collaborate in any way, and he gives music lessons too!
