College & Theater Events

<p>Michael Sam encourages you to boldly and courageously pursue your dreams and define your success with his impassioned personal story of resilience over life's challenges.</p><p>A University of Missouri football star primed for an early round pick in the 2014 NFL draft, Michael’s talents on the field were nearly sidelined when he came out as gay during an ESPN interview. While his revelation sent shockwaves through the sports world and resulted in a last round pick by the St.

<p>Dr. Joan Morgan is an award-winning journalist and author, and a provocative cultural critic. Morgan's passion and commitment to the accurate documentation of hip-hop culture combined with adept cultural criticism placed her at the forefront of music journalism.</p><p>She was one of the original staff writers at <i>Vibe</i> magazine and a contributing editor and columnist for<i> Spin</i>.

<p>For more than three decades, Jeff Corwin has been a globally recognized leader and storyteller at the intersection of wildlife, nature, and the environment - sharing his passion for the natural world with audiences around the globe. </p><p>Jeff has brought the wonders of wildlife and conservation to life through acclaimed television series across ABC, NBC, Travel Channel, CNN, Food Network, Disney Channel, and Discovery Networks.

<p>Aron Ralston's extraordinary story of survival after an 800-pound boulder trapped him in a remote Utah canyon captured global headlines in 2003.

<p>With more than two decades of experience in groundbreaking storytelling, Emmy Award-winning journalist and bestselling author Lisa Ling shares stories of her dramatic career to educate and inspire audiences to live without limits.</p><p>Over a twenty-year career in media, journalist Lisa Ling has dedicated herself to shedding light on stories impacting the world in which we live. She joined CBS News in 2023 after 15 years with CNN, where she hosted This Is Life with Lisa Ling.

<p>Brad Meltzer is the former host of the History Channel TV show, <i>Brad Meltzer's Decoded</i>, and is the #1 <i>New York Times</i> bestselling author of <i>The Escape Artist</i>, <i>The Inner Circle</i>, <i>The Book of Fate</i>, and many other best-selling thrillers.</p><p>In addition to his fiction, Brad is one of the only authors to ever have books on the best-seller list for Non-Fiction (<i>History Decoded</i>), Advice (<i>Heroes for My Son</i> and <i>Heroes for My Daughter

<p>Frank Abagnale's transformation from one of the world's most notorious con men to a highly sought-after international cybercrime and fraud prevention consultant is nothing short of remarkable.</p>

<p>Gene Kranz shares lessons from one of mankind's most challenging endeavors, revealing how grit, teamwork and thoughtful leadership ensure victory in any circumstance.</p><p>An iconic NASA flight director, Gene is best known for his leadership in bringing Apollo 13 safely back to Earth and guiding Apollo 11 into history with the first moon landing.

<p>Diversity speaker Helen Zia is an award-winning journalist and a contributing editor to <em>Ms.</em> magazine, where she was formerly executive editor. Her articles, essays, and reviews have appeared in many newspapers and magazines. She has contributed essays to several anthologies, and was executive editor of the book, "Notable Asian-Americans".

<p>Holocaust survivor and human rights activist Inge Auerbacher spent three years as a child imprisoned in a Nazi concentration camp in Czechoslovakia, where out of 15,000 children, barely 1 percent survived. Following her emigration to the United States in 1946, she received a BS in chemistry from Queens College. Since then, she has worked for over 38 years as a chemist with many renowned medical scientists and researchers.</p><p>Auerbacher is also an accomplished writer.