I am also passionate about being involved in the local community, and helping with events that bring local businesses and local peoples together with faculty and students in diverse forums of interaction, and create unique and exciting learning experiences that people remember for a lifetime. I have organized and hosted several exhibitions inside and outside the classroom as well. Each event was attended by roughly 400 to 3000 students/faculty/general public. They were:
Aung San Suu Kyi Skype session on December 5th, 2011
Organized social media campaign to create, and then hosted, a live Skype video call with Burmese democracy leader and Nobel Peace Prize Winner, Aung San Suu Kyi. This 60 minute live Q+A session was created for World Regions class, but open to general public as well and received media attention globally.
Attendance: 3000
Aung San Suu Kyi holds live Skype interview with Virginia Tech students
WDBJ-7
12-5-11
view other news coverage of the event
”Bouncing Cats” documentary film event and Q+A (with guest stars) on November 29th
Organized and hosted a special screening of Bouncing Cats: the award-winning, Red Bull-sponsored documentary of one man's attempt to use the power of hip-hop for positive social change in Uganda. The film profiled Breakdance Project Uganda (BPU), an organization that was formed in 2006 to empower disadvantaged youth in Uganda through hip-hop. Our event reunited special guest stars Crazy Legs from the Rock Steady Crew and Abraham "Abramz" Tekya from Breakdance Project Uganda for the first time since filming together for the project.
Attendance: 3000
”Invisible Children” film event and Q+A (with guest stars) on November 8th, 2011
Helped organize, promote, and hosted the screening of Invisible Children documentary “Tony,” which tells the story of a young Ugandan child’s life in a war-stricken nation,. Jason Russell, a co-founder of the international charity Invisible Children, and Stella Mistica, a Ugandan who lived in the war zone and is now a mentor through the program, were guests stars that provided lecture and followed by a Q+A session after the film.
Attendance: 3000
Charity co-founder speaks to Tech
Collegiate Times
”The Way” film event and Q+A (with guest stars) on September 28th, 2011
Launched a massive social media campaign, organized, and hosted a film screening with guest stars Emilio Estevez and Martin Sheen for their latest movie “The Way”. Following the film screening, Estevez and Sheen conducted a Q+A with students, staff, and guest from the general public.
Attendance: 3000
Emilio Estevez and Martin Sheen stop by Virginia Tech
WSLS
Blacksburg High School Commencement Speech on June 5th 2011
Topic: Achieve the Dream: 3 Tips to Keep Inspired and Passionate about Realizing Your Full Potential
Commencement Speeches Aren't Just for Graduates Handshake2.0
Vinton Wine Festival May 21, 2011
Host and lecture speaker for the Vinton Wine & Food Festival focusing on appreciation of Virginia wines. Attendance: 1000
Blacksburg Fork & Cork Wine Festival April 30, 2011, May 1, 2010, May 2, 2009
Hosted first year, and gave 3 lectures on wine history, wine pairings and multiple other wine topics each year. Attendance: 3000
Bottleshock: A wine tasting/film viewing event at the Lyric Theater on May 4, 2011
Organized, fund-raised, and hosted class/public event at the Lyric theater: Bottleshock, a film about the famous Paris tasting of 1976, with a Q&A session after the showing, and the entire event was accompanied by a America vs. French wine tasting comparison. Attendance: 375
Gary Vaynerchuk April 27th, 2011
Organized, sponsored, hosting and emceed this guest speaker event, which was the most attended event on campus of the semester with over 3000 attendees. New York Times bestselling author, renown wine critic, video blogger (winelibrarytv.com), and radical transformer of the internet business model, Gary Vaynerchuk spoke about wine, social networking, and his new book 'The Thank You Economy.'
The Passion of Gary Vaynerchuk
Blog post by Emily Jasper
Bouncing Cats April 14, 2011
Organized and hosted class/public event at the Lyric theater. Bouncing Cats: Documentary film follows one man's attempt to create a better life for the children of Uganda using the unlikely tool of hip-hop culture with the focus on break-dancing. Produced by Red Bull Studios. Attendance: 350
http://www.bouncingcats.com/
Merlove: A wine tasting/film viewing event at the Lyric Theater on May 5, 2010
Organized, fund-raised, and hosted class/public event at the Lyric theater. Documentary film-maker Rudolf McClain from Sonoma, CA was the invited speaker to present his film Merlove to a sold-out crowd and we held a Q&A session after the showing. The film, a tribute to the rise and fall of Merlot wine, was accompanied by a Merlot tasting. Attendance: 400
Brew-Do October 30, 2010 , October 24, 2009
(annual event, 2 years running)
Invited lecturer; conducting tasting panel and gave 3 talks about beer history and beer culture in the US. Attendance: 2000
Eastern Martial Arts & Eastern Medicine Exposition April 10, 2006 in Graduate Student Life Center
The Eastern Martial Arts & Medicine Show was an extension of the ‘Geography of East Asia’ class I was teaching, and consisted of the students in the class enlisting speakers, medical folks, and martial artists to come put on a show free of charge for the entire VT community. Attendance: 600
Study Abroad Exhibit for China, Vietnam & Cambodia April 2007 in the Squires Student Center & Northeastern Europe Cultural Exhibit on April 7th 2004 in the Squires Student Center
The Northeastern Europe Cultural and the China, Vietnam & Cambodia exhibits were outgrowths of VT study abroad experiences I led. I organized the students that participated in those programs to build educational and intriguing displays to present to their fellow VT students and faculty as a way of focusing their creative energies on what they had experienced, but also to be a promotional tool for potential future participants. Attendance: 300