TedxUniversityofTulsa 2016: Exploring the theme "Truth And Dare"

Truth (noun): that which is true or in accordance with fact or reality.

And (conjunction): used to introduce an additional comment or interjection. 

Dare (noun): a challenge, especially to prove courage.

A wise man called Jerry Seinfeld once said that to the average person,  if you go to a funeral, you're better off in the casket than doing the eulogy. This was in response to the fact that according to most studies, public speaking is people's number one fear, surpassing even death. As odd as this may be, it makes perfect sense to me.

There exists  an array of  feelings that come with being partitioned from a crowd; with this group of familiar and unfamiliar faces being your judge, examining every aspect of your outer being whilst generating perceptions about you that you have very little control over. One word that can pass in summing up the burgeoning emotions that come with this occurrence is discomfort. 

It is human nature to seek out comfort. Many of us are attending this prestigious university today so we can someday earn incomes that can afford us comfortable lives. We are raised along lines of convention, and with good intentions from those raising us since they usually have the best desires for us- one of these being a life of ease. 

However, life in reality is analogous to looking both left and right before crossing the road, only to get hit by a plane. It is filled with additional circumstances that we did not anticipate, that  push us into the challenge of constantly having to face new realities.

So when I read the theme for this year's TedxUniversityofTulsa I was deeply perplexed as to what anyone can possible say that's enlightening in line with this theme. Unpacking the meaning of the words within the theme reveals that life and living are indeed Truth And Dare. The commonplace of these words is the zone of discomfort that they are largely associated with, and how facing that discomfort leads to new schools of thought, inventive ideas and the learning of vital life lessons amongst many things.

In light of this theme and the relevance thereof allow me to introduce myself. My name is Cece and I'll be your blogger for this year's TedxUniversityofTulsa. As a female foreign student, I am constantly faced with different truths about my identity, both those born from my reality and those from the perceptions of others from different parts of the world. In addition to the challenges involved with getting my qualification, I often have to  gather the courage to overcome the fact that I'm a minority being a woman of color in a male dominated field. That's the story of my own Truth And Dare. What's yours?