Community members share their knowledge through performances at ‘Lehigh Speaks’

An array of presentations and speakers performed at this year’s Lehigh Speaks event on April 16. The event is an outlet for both Lehigh members and local community members as a non-academic platform to frame presentations however they would like.

Gerardo Calderon, ’14, ’15G, one of the founders of Lehigh Speaks, said it is an event which began only last year, but has grown in recognition and community support.

“I started Lehigh Speaks because I wanted to give back to the Lehigh community,” Calderon said. “I was exposed to things I would have never seen if I hadn’t come here, and I wanted to bring that to others in the community.”

The five organizers of the event were Hamid Akbary, Radja Benmansour, Budi Waluyo, Nikolai Armetev and Gerardo Calderon.

The LU’s Finest Step Team and Andy Po, the owner of Homebase Skateshop on West Fourth Street, were two of the 10 performers that made up this year’s show.

Po became involved in the event because he knew Calderon from previous city hall meetings. He said he was happy to help bring his point of view to the Lehigh community.

At the event, Po spoke about obstacles he has faced with both Homebase and starting the local skate park.

“Being a skateboarder, I often have to change the way I present myself and combat the stereotypes that come with being a skateboarder,” Po said. “When trying to affect change, oftentimes you have to do something to come up to their level and have them take you seriously.”

Calderon said one of the obstacles with starting a newer event is spreading recognition throughout the community.

Nikolai Artemev, a Lehigh graduate student and the president of the Fulbright Association, helped Calderon with the process of gaining momentum for the event.

Artemev was impressed by the innovative and creative ways people presented when he attended the event last year, which caused him to help organize Lehigh Speaks this year.

“One of the first steps to gaining momentum was having a promotion video on Facebook and an open Facebook page that anyone can join and people can be invited to,” Artemev said.

Other means of recruitment for Calderon and Artemev were contacting the University Announcements and the graduate student life emails. They also utilized the Fulbright Association to spread the word about the event, its mission and how to sign up as a speaker.

Artemev said there was a mix between people who signed up to perform at the event and speakers who were asked to participate, such as Po. This year Lehigh Speaks used the hashtag “WouldYouShareIt” to recruit speakers and viewers, and to help sum up what the mission of the event was, in as few words as possible.

“#WouldYouShareIt basically has to do with your experiences and makes you think whether or not you would share it with others,” Calderon said. “If the answer is yes, than it is just one more incentive to join Lehigh Speaks.”