The inaugural TEDxSUNY Oswego in spring 2025 is reaching a global audience and fulfilling a dream Eason Lee first had as a teenager in Penang, Malaysia.

“When I was 15, I decided I wanted to give a TEDx talk to spread inspiration on the big stage,” he recalled. “That dream started moving toward reality when I came to SUNY Oswego.”

The sold-out live event took place on April 11, and the main TEDx Talks YouTube channel (youtube.com/@TEDx) -– with more than 43 million subscribers –- recently added Oswego’s six talks to inspire an international audience. And the organizing team was international in nature, with SUNY Oswego family members spanning seven nations.

Lee, who earned his master of business administration from SUNY Oswego in 2025 after his bachelor’s in human resource management, gave credit to a team effort of fellow students, faculty and staff –- the kind of support that made him fall in love with Oswego.

“I chose SUNY Oswego multiple times really,” said Lee, who also worked in the university’s Admissions Office. “I first chose to come here as an undergraduate. Then I chose to stay here to finish my MBA program. Then I chose to work here in my professional journey. That says a lot about SUNY Oswego –- to me, it meant everything.” 

When Lee received the go-ahead from TEDx in early 2025, he compared the next step to assembling a team of superheroes, “the best people with the biggest passion,” Lee explained. “I told people we were looking for one main thing: passion. It’s the most reliable thing you can get from a person.”

View this TEDxSUNYOswego playlist to see Oswego’s talks.

Moving people, bringing them together

Themed "Ideas Move People," the inaugural TEDxSUNY Oswego brought together nearly 40 people across departments to make the dream possible.

Lee was not the only person who came a long way to Oswego and went the distance to make TEDxSUNY Oswego a success. In addition to members from the United States, the team also included representatives of five additional countries in India, Nigeria, Serbia, Nepal and Kyrgyzstan –- because they shared Lee's passion and ambition, but also because they continuously work hard to fulfill aspirations.

“International students are all in when we do things,” Lee said. “People who are international here have great skills and are very passionate. The sacrifice that we make in leaving a country for an entirely different life means we need to strive to become the best.”

Lee’s successor to lead planning for the 2026 TEDxSUNY Oswego is another international student, Meet Patel from Anand, India, who was vice president leading many parts of the 2025 event.

“I really appreciate the opportunities at SUNY Oswego,” said Patel, who is pursuing dual degrees in business administration and information science. “I did a lot of research before coming here. Compared to other schools, Oswego provides so many more opportunities to get involved around campus and build a resume.” 

Patel said that “all the opportunities and all the chances for students to grow” at Oswego have kept him motivated, even more so as he looks to continue TEDxSUNY Oswego after a successful launch.

Future opportunities

“This is not going to be a one-time thing,” Patel noted. “I’m more than happy to do this in the next academic year. Our first focus is working on speakers and a good team as well.”

Part of that process includes “giving an opportunity for all students to join the team and get some hands-on experience,” Patel said. “We are not just focusing on delivering inspiring speeches but opportunities for students to get experience and connections. We want to make this a tradition to go forever and forever.”

Two other international Lakers, who came here for school and have stayed as employees, headed the creative team: Muhammad Hammad, from Chennai, India, now marketing and creative specialist in the Admission Office, and Andjela Djapa, from Belgrade, Serbia, marketing and web coordinator for Auxiliary Services.

“This really puts SUNY Oswego and Oswego on the map in a whole different way. It benefits the community as well,” said Hammad, who earned his master’s in human-computer interaction. “What made me choose Oswego was the program and the ranking of the program, but what made me stay is the people.”

To Lee, who had to overcome an initial rejection of his TEDx application and the learning experience to improve the application to get approval, the whole learning opportunity has made it all the more rewarding. The sold-out event and viewership were both measures of success, but so was the amount of inspiration and good feelings in the wake of the event.

“A lot of alumni came back and enjoyed it,” Lee said. “We were very proud that the audience was a mix of what we wanted, students, faculty and staff members, alumni and community members. Every one of them can get something out of this experience.”

In addition to selling out its 100 tickets, the event’s live broadcast on the SUNY Oswego YouTube channel (youtube.com/user/sunyoswegovideo) had 75 average live viewers on livestream, peaking over 100. In total 1,036 screens viewed the broadcast with 258 total hours of watch time. The videos enjoyed a 100 percent approval rating with 50 likes, and 1,438 impressions. 

“Better yet, there are 845 new viewers who have never landed in any SUNY Oswego YouTube videos prior to our broadcast,” Lee noted, thus helping increase awareness for the university and its promotion of excellence.

Speakers and topics included:

  • Aunrée Jacques Laurent Houston, marketing operations executive at Netflix, life enrichment coach and SUNY Oswego alumnus: "The Ingredients of Purpose"
  • Yonggang Wang, meteorologist, climatologist, and associate professor of meteorology at SUNY Oswego: "Chasing the Snow: Exploring the Science and Adventure of Lake Effect Snow"
  • Christopher Stein, assistant professor of technology at SUNY Oswego, landscape designer, artist and two-time Oswego alumnus: "Surviving Technology - Tools for Life"
  • Natalia Lewandowska, chair of the NANOGrav Noise Budget Working Group, Shineman Planetarium director and assistant professor of physics and astronomy at SUNY Oswego: "The Timekeepers of the Universe"
  • Aiden R.J. Wilson, SUNY Oswego Student Association President, international student from Bahamas: "Sowing Seeds and Reaping Opportunities"
  • Robert Simmons III, vice president of U.S. social impact and community engagement at National Grid and executive director of the National Grid Foundation: "Creating Dreams for Progress" 

Lee thanked university sponsors the Division of Student Affairs, Office of Admissions and Auxiliary Services as key sponsor, and additional partners including Campus Events and Conference Services and its Box Office, the Technology Department, Campus Technology Services, Facilities Services, and the School of Communication, Media and the Arts.

“This huge undertaking does not take one person, it takes an entire village,” Lee said. “We are so happy to create something that will continue to put Oswego on the map.”

Eason Lee and Meet Patel, two lead organizers for the inaugural TEDxSUNY Oswego

Eason Lee and Meet Patel, two lead organizers for the inaugural TEDxSUNY Oswego.