Theresa Soya

Athlete, Brainstormer, Christian, Connector, Foodie

I am a proud NJ, USA native with a passion for injury prevention and recovery. I currently work as a researcher in the field of injury science, and my career goals are to find ways to make sports and athletics safer, so that as many individuals as possible can have the opportunity to be active and play. I see athletics as a tremendous platform not only to promote strong physical and mental health, but to connect individuals of all different backgrounds, races, talents, and stories to create relationships and build character traits to last a lifetime.

the relationships we weave throughout our lives - our families, and the friends who become family as well. I believe that the most powerful agent of change in our world is love, and that through love and compassion, we can make a better world around us everyday.

athletics, communication, concussion, injury, mental health, school violence

From the time that I was a freshman in high school, I fell in love with TED talks. I was so hooked on the passion behind them - and on this beautiful idea that through the interchange of great ideas, we can change the world. I was so inspired by the talks that I watched that I knew I wanted to be more involved with such an incredible movement. In college, I played a small role in helping to organize the local TEDx conference near my hometown, assisting with media outreach and conference promotion. Taking everything that I learned from my experience there, I went back to school in the fall of that same calendar year determined to host a TEDx conference of my own. After forming a team of tremendously passionate students, we did exactly that - and hosted the first ever TEDxTCNJ in the spring of 2015.