TEDxAUBG: Unbounded Visions of the World

The 13th TEDxAUBG conference “Visions Unbound” featured nine speakers, who shared daring stories and bold visions. The event was held on April 5, 2025, at the Carl Djerassi Theatre.

 

From the creativity of an artist to the story of a poet to the symbolism of mathematics, and many more. This year’s conference was focused on challenging the audience’s ability to think outside the box.

 

The conference was opened by an AUBG alumna - the computer science specialist Sindi Shkodrani. She is devoted to researching AI and its impact on society. 

 

 

Shkodrani shared insights about the development of AI and what threats it poses to society. From job displacement and negative impact on mental health to environmental cost and issues with transparency and fairness. The best way to tackle this issue, according to Shkodrani, is by aiming for human-centered technology.

 

To conclude, Shkodrani shared her dream of a “future where technology truly uplifts humanity”- the same way she dreamed flying cars would when she was younger.

 

After her, the first Georgian female street artist, Musya Qeburia, an activist, with a free heart and a creative mind, took over the stage.

 

The audience was immersed in the inspiring story of the beauty of street art. She shared: “Art is more than decoration, it’s a tool for storytelling, transformation, and connection.”

 

 

Furthermore, she explored the relevance of street art in terms of accessibility to the public, self-expression, and as a form of activism and shared her own take by advocating for homeless children, as well as for unfair arrests of protestors in Georgia. As Qeburia left the stage, the hall echoed with her inspiring insight that “Every wall is a story to be told.” 

 

To conclude the first panel, the Bulgarian poet and essayist Ivan Ladzhev engaged the audience with his story on creative stagnation.

 

With wit and humor, the speaker presented the audience with the journey of the world record holder for most lightning strikes endured, Ranger Roy, who, despite everything, stayed true to his choices. 

 

 

Though Roy did not learn his lesson - even after seven lightning strikes - he continued to challenge his luck. Landzhev believes that “sometimes freedom is exactly that - not learning your lesson.”

 

Actually, the lesson Landzhev highlighted was not about lightning strikes, but the process of never giving up and the ability to keep moving, encouraging the audience to “forget about the forecast,” and go for a walk.

 

After a lunch break, the audience dove into the second panel, which was opened by Derya Hyusein. She is a dietitian and is famous among social media users with her content about healthy eating habits. 

 

 

Hyusein’s speech began by highlighting many of the new technologies and innovations, shifting the ways medicine operates. She highlighted the importance of prevention by “going back to the basics,” as she believes change comes from the small everyday actions that we take in order to change our lifestyle for the better. 

 

The lights lit up a familiar face when time came for the second speaker- AUBG senior and polyglot Teona Sima, also known as “The Language Blondie”. The focuses of her speech were the importance of languages as well as advice for people wanting to expand their language knowledge.

 

 

As Teona confided, speaking more languages is a way to connect with people and experience stories, jokes, and conversation in a way like never before. Despite people’s fears of immersing themselves into a new language, she believes that only “thoughts are stopping you from learning your dream language.” 

 

She debunked some of the most popular myths about the topic, such as a lack of talent, inability to learn grammar, and the fear of making mistakes. She emphasized that “by making mistakes, you will get rid of them.” 

 

The last speaker of the second panel was Svilen Georgiev, editor-in-chief and publisher of InGlobo online magazine, who opened his speech with a segment from his book. One, which was never finished. 

 

 

Svilen’s talk was about the journeys that every person takes in order to find themselves and their true calling in life. Well, for Svilen, it was quite the ride- from working in marketing to quitting his job to write his own book to finally finding his true passion for journalism in the form of his own family-owned magazine, Svilen has gone a long way to find what really sticks out to him.

 

“Nothing can overshadow the feeling of doing what you wanted and exactly how you wanted,” Svilen shared.

 

To mark the end of panel number two, the competitive dancer and medalist Elena Andonova provided the audience with an elegant dance performance. 

 

 

Ready to take the hall on a ride into the human body, Iva Radoeva stepped on the stage. She is a psychology student, focused on researching synesthesia - a phenomenon that enables a person to experience crossover sensations, such as tasting a place. 

 

She shared that this phenomenon was consistent, specific, and unintentional, and many people unknowingly might be experiencing it. 

 

 

With warm applause, onto the stage came the second speaker, the beloved professor of mathematicians, Jack Yoon. 

 

Prof. Yoon’s speech began from his childhood in Korea to his high school years in Georgia, USA, all of which led to one encounter that would change his life forever- the encounter with Pascal’s Triangle.

 

 

But this was not a speech on mathematical concepts. It was a speech on the richness of the human mind. Prof. Yoon expressed belief in powerful ideas: “It is interesting that even though I am not good at remembering many things, if one particular idea resonates with me, it stays with me forever.”

 

The last speaker of the event was Egzon Gashi - creator of the NGO “Teach For Kosova.” The project aims to provide educational opportunities for children from Kosovo.

 

It all started when Gashi was less than a year old. His parents immigrated to the USA with him. However, as he was growing, one of his thoughts grew fonder and fonder- returning to Kosovo and giving back to his community. 

 

Egzon shared the story of two influential figures who have altered the course of his life. Both of them were his educators, who to this day, remain vivid figures of inspiration and influence. 

 

 

He described them as pivotal for the development of his dreams, goals, and ambition. They are the ones who have led him to make the decision to move back an ocean away to Kosovo and start an organization that will provide the same opportunities for children from his community. 

 

Gashi believes those inspiring human interactions can never be mimicked, and they are something that AI could never replace. “AI can help a child prepare for an exam, but it can’t recognize the fear in the kids’ voice before taking the exam.” 

 

Now that he has returned to his roots, he said that his life has come full circle. For him, this concluded the story of inspiration, the one that comes from within and the one that comes from our interaction with others.

 

And the curtain closed.

 

Edited by: Toma Krumov and Vasil Paskov