On April 8, NYU Abu Dhabi will hold its third annual TEDxNYUAD conference. The conference hopes to, once again, take its audience on an unconventional journey.

This year, nine speakers will present stories from across the globe, operating under TEDx’s premise of spreading ideas that have potential to change attitudes, lives and, ultimately, the world. The speakers include students, faculty and staff of NYUAD. They come from places as diverse as Vietnam, Zimbabwe, The Netherlands and Armenia.

This year’s conference has the theme of Small Stories, Big Issues and the talks will explore how experiential learning can deliver a new perspective on larger concepts and address major issues pertinent to today’s world.

Vongai Mlambo, Class of 2020, will explore the issue of native language loss in a world where one language, English, is given so much weight in education, finance and politics.

“I began thinking about the detrimental effect this emphasis on English has in high school, but over the years I have had more time to reflect on it as my awareness of the problem has expanded,” she said. “My talk hopes to surprise, shock and move people to realize that native language loss is more dangerous than we usually think and that there is a common responsibility to stop this loss of linguistic diversity in its tracks.”

Willem Cant, Class of 2019, will investigate the interrelation between global and local leadership, interlacing his talk with descriptions of his travels and lessons from Swaziland and other locations, with the aim to highlight the impact of globalization on current day international affairs.

Nghiem Huynh, Class of 2018, will reflect upon his experience of cursing in English, taking the audience with him on a journey that will explain his rationale for the extensive and reckless use of cursing as a way of expressing himself while he was learning English. “I hope to share my lesson about culture and language from my indecorous behavior at United World College Red Cross Nordic, while maintaining a humorous and reflective tone,” said Huynh.

The event will also feature talks from faculty and staff members. Emeka Romanus Nwadike from Nigeria who works for SERCO as a Recreational Assistant in the NYUAD Athletics Department will share his personal experience of growing up in an insecure environment with minimal resources and the sacrifices he had to make for his siblings. With his talk, he hopes to inform his audience that success depends more on the choices you make for a better future than on your family wealth.

To hear these stories join the TEDxNYUAD team on April 8 at 6 p.m.