Business students bring TEDx talk to SFSU

Student-organized event featured guest speakers from public, private sectors

Dec 22, 2025
By Matt Itelson

Photo Credit: Photos courtesy of Associated Students Productions

As the only public university in one of the world’s most forward-thinking cities, San Francisco State University is a vital nerve center for new ideas and burgeoning talent. This makes our campus a prime location for a student-organized TEDx talk, bringing over 300 people to the Student Life Events Center on Nov. 15.

TEDx is a grassroots initiative of Technology, Entertainment, Design (TED), the distinguished nonprofit that presents live speaking events worldwide. Master of Business Administration (MBA) student Neil Sterud submitted an application for SFSU to host a TEDx talk. More than 20 additional students volunteered to help put on the event. For Sterud, organizing a TEDx event at SFSU is more than a career-building endeavor. It is a way to give back to the campus community.

“This is hands-on project management leadership. It’s a massive, very complicated deal,” said Sterud, who also serves as a second-class petty officer for the Navy Corps of Engineers. “It’s a feather in the cap. That’s another thing that I wanted for students, and that’s what I was telling people. I said, ‘Hey, jump on with this. Help out because brands on our resume matter. If you could put on your resume that you helped with an event like this, it could help with employers, and you shouldn’t wait until you’re out of college to try to get some experience.’”

The free event, themed “Seas of Change,” explored innovative, resilient and courageous responses to the uncharted waters in today’s society. The eight speakers spanned Bay Area nonprofit leaders as well as faculty from SFSU and the Cal Poly Maritime Academy covering topics such as addressing the housing crisis by building tiny homes, labor unions, artificial intelligence, branding, mental health and restorative justice. Magician Mike Toy (M.A., ’11) served as emcee.

Volunteers included Liza Kucherova, a senior in Marketing who implemented a multichannel marketing campaign and created the event’s web page. MBA student Alson Cheong played recruited other student volunteers and led a team that secured RSVPs and ran the check-in table.

“One of the main reasons I wanted to get involved is to serve our community and bring TEDx to San Francisco State. I also want to get valuable experience in event planning,” said Cheong, who serves as a Lam Family College of Business ambassador and is also studying for a Pre-Law certificate. “This experience really helped me see all the procedural steps that it takes to get an event like this done.”

The “TEDx at SF State” was made possible in part through the support of SFSU’s Lam-Larsen Student Engagement Initiative and sponsored by SFSU’s Lam Family College of Business (LFCoB). LFCoB staff also provided behind-the-scenes support to the LFCoB student ambassadors.

“LFCoB was delighted to sponsor the event,” LFCoB Dean Eugene Sivadas said. “Our college is global in aspiration and reach, but draws its strength from the communities we serve. It was a pleasure to bring interesting and diverse viewpoints for the benefit of our students and the larger community we serve.”

Learn more about SFSU’s Lam Family College of Business.