College & Theater Events

<p>America Ferrera is perhaps best known for her fearless portrayal of "Betty Suarez" on ABC&#39;s hit comedy <i>Ugly Betty</i> and "Carmen" in the popular film <i>The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants</i>. Ferrera&#39;s <i>Ugly Betty</i> role earned her an Emmy, Golden Globe, and Screen Actors Guild Award, as well as ALMA and Imagen Awards.</p><p>Ferrera currently produces and stars in the long-running NBC workplace comedy,<i> Superstore</i>.

<p>Mark Kennedy Shriver, the son of Sargent and Eunice Kennedy Shriver, is a former Maryland state legislator, a leader in children&#39;s education and poverty prevention, and author of "A Good Man: Rediscovering My Father, Sargent Shriver," a New York Times best-seller. He is Senior Vice President of U.S. Programs for Save Our Children, a leading independent organization creating lasting change in the lives of children in need in the U.S.

<p>RJ Mitte engages, educates and inspires with candid discussion of transforming obstacles into assets and preventing bullying.</p><p>RJ is best known for playing Walt Jr. on the Emmy-winning AMC drama <i>Breaking Bad</i>, – like his character on the show, he also battles with cerebral palsy.

<p>For 40 years, photographer James Balog has broken new conceptual and artistic ground on one of the most important issues of our era: human modification of our planet’s natural systems. An avid mountaineer with a graduate degree in geography and geomorphology, James is equally at home on a Himalayan peak or a whitewater river, the African savannah or polar icecaps.</p><p>To reveal the impact of climate change, James founded the Extreme Ice Survey (EIS), the most wide-ranging, ground-based, photographic study of glaciers ever conducted.

<p>Dr. Marc Lamont Hill shares a bold vision of the future, where social progress and the pursuit of equality depend on listening to each other while adopting a fearless attitude toward change.</p>

<p>As a scholar and award-winning author, Dr. Hill expertly dissects political and social moments as a way to initiate frank discussions on culture, politics and race. By identifying key issues, challenges, controversies and trends in the news, he spotlights the work that must be done to sustain the ongoing struggle for equality and freedom.</p>

<p>Eboo Patel is the founder and executive director of the Interfaith Youth Core, a Chicago-based institution building the global interfaith youth movement. He was appointed by President Obama to the Advisory Council of the White House Office of Faith Based and Neighborhood Initiatives, where he is working to realize the president’s priority of interfaith cooperation.</p><p>He is the author of <i>Acts of Faith: The Story of an American Muslim</i>, the Struggle for the Soul of a Generation.

<p>With a story that is simultaneously heartbreaking and uplifting, Jennifer Thompson and Ronald Cotton demonstrate that we are all capable of compassion and change, no matter how dire the circumstances. </p>

<p>Spencer Wells is a geneticist, anthropologist, author and entrepreneur. For over a decade he was an Explorer-in-Residence at the National Geographic Society and Director of the Genographic Project, which collected and analyzed DNA samples from hundreds of thousands of people around the world in order to decipher how our ancestors populated the planet, in the process launching the consumer genomics industry.</p><p>Wells graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Texas at Austin, received his Ph.D.

<p>Since she was a little girl, Shawn Johnson East dreamed of competing for the United States in the Olympics. By 2008, when she was named to the US Olympics Gymnastics Team, she was already a two-time National Champion, and a World AA Champion.</p>

<p>At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Johnson East helped establish the United States as one of the most talented teams in the world, winning the individual gold medal in the balance beam, and three silver medals in the individual all-around, floor exercise, and team categories.</p>

<p>Jay Smooth enlightens with poignant observations about music, race, politics and other important cultural and social issues, while promoting the importance of mutual respect.</p><p>As the former host of <i>The Underground Railroad</i>, New York City’s longest-running hip-hop radio program and the popular video blog, <i>The Ill Doctrine</i>, Jay has established himself as a unique and leading voice at the nexus of sociopolitical issues who brings a singular perspective on society and culture.</p><p>Through thoughtful examination, Jay m