Ted Talk Style Presentation Reflection: 

I had some struggles with my Ted Talk in the beginning. I struggled with what I wanted my thesis to be exactly. I knew I wanted to talk about the energy industry, especially in the state of Pennsylvania, but I wasn’t sure if I wanted to focus on sustainability and fracking or not. I first got into this idea because of the presidential election. When they came to Pennsylvania they kept talking about fracking and the energy industry. As someone that wants to get into environmental law, this kind of thing really interested me. But after my conference I was able to get an idea of the path I wanted to take. I wanted it to be more about the politics behind the industry and the voters. There is a large push for green energy and I wanted to talk about how the industry is shifting towards this. After hours of edits, even on the last day, I created a Ted Talk that I am really happy about. I really think that I covered a paradigm shift that is important to the country now and in the future. 

Brainstorming Ideas: 

There are many public controversies in American history that could be talked about. This makes it more interesting and hopefully my group will cover something that will not be covered by another group. One idea that we could try to focus on is the controversy around the electoral college. I worry that this one is too obvious but it is a very important one to talk about. Some people in some states have a vote that matters more than others due to the system put in place. I understand that the system was trying to create a fair balance for state power, but I think it would be interesting to talk about if the system upholds in modern society. This is an important discussion and one that I think has valid points on both sides. 

Another controversy that my team could discuss is the higher education system. As a freshman during the Covid Pandemic it can be stressful. Many even before the pandemic have questioned the higher education system. I think it would be interesting to do a deep dive into the benefits and the problems with it. This could include talks about student loans and financial aid, and what students do after college. Some students do things that aren’t related to the major that they graduated with. These topics could be cool to look at more in depth.