Michaela Mason

Born in Northfield, Minnesota and raised in Madrid, Spain before moving to the UK for high school and college I'd consider myself to be a truly global citizen. I now study Politics, Philosophy, and Economics at the University of Exeter with the goal of cultivating the skills I need to create real and tangible change in the world. I previously worked as the Outreach Officer for Space Exe, one of the most prominent space societies for students in the UK. I worked to organise volunteering opportunities for our members to encourage STEM engagement with school-age children, and events to cultivate an interest in employment in the Space sector. I now live and work in New York City for JP Morgan, working to achieve the bank's social initiatives.

I am passionate about enabling as many people as possible to learn and to continue to learn about a diverse range of subjects, particularly by working to produce or help out in events for young people and the elderly. I also feel passionately about working to create environments in which everyone can thrive equally. Specifically, I aim to create events where I can encourage young women to engage in traditionally male dominated subjects and career paths. On a personal level I am tremendously passionate about space science, having worked with NASA scientists to aid their research during the 2017 Great American Eclipse. I also love public policy analysis, political philosophy, macro economic analysis, playing music, stargazing, the NYT mini crossword puzzle, and any opportunity I have to truly connect with people. For more information on any of my passions or projects please feel free to reach out via LinkedIn.

Civic engagement, Event organization, Outreach, Public speaking, Written and numerical analysis, Youth engagement

Watching TED talks and listening to the TED radio hour has inspired me to try and engage more with the wider TED community. I am currently organising Exeter's first ever TEDxYouth event - TEDxYouth@GandyStreet.