TEDx RMIT inspires young people to create their own legacy

TEDx RMIT inspires young people to create their own legacy

Held entirely online for the first time, this year’s TEDx RMIT talks attracted its biggest line-up of speakers and audience under the theme “The One Legacy"

“Have you ever thought about the life of a prisoner? Will there ever be a future, hope, a life beyond or will there be nothing but an end with what's behind the bars?”

These questions piqued the interest of hundreds of viewers who joined the talk delivered by Ngo Minh Hieu, also known as Hieu PC, during the TEDx RMIT 2021 program.

Mr Hieu is a former 'black hat' hacker who once faced a sentence of up to 40 years of imprisonment and now works as a cyber security specialist for the Vietnam National Cyber Security Centre.

He captivated the audience with his journey of awakening and finding love, hope, and faith through the flame of passion.

"Prison put me down but also made me think more about myself,” Mr Hieu said. “If we can change the way we think, we can see the good in things. For me, it was honesty, openmindedness and willingness that helped me become a better person, even when I was still behind bars.”

Mr Hieu was among the 11 guest speakers in this year’s student-led TEDx RMIT, part of the worldwide TEDx initiative to encourage independent talks of “ideas worth spreading”.

The line-up of speakers at TEDx RMIT 2021. The line-up of speakers at TEDx RMIT 2021.

Other speakers included Creative Director of ELLE Magazine Dzung Yoko, beauty blogger Emmi Hoang, digital artist Camelia Pham, EdLab Asia CEO Hoang Anh Duc, Founder of Vietnamese NGO CHANGE Hoang Thi Minh Hong, hypnotherapist Giang Kate, and artist Bui Thanh Tam.

Several successful RMIT alumni were also among the line-up: Board member of Flyer.vn and Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia 2017 honouree Nguyen Hoang Hai, Co-founder and CEO of Bobi Craft Nguyen Tran Van Thuy, and Founder and CEO of ASART Deal Advisory Le Thi Binh.

Coming to TEDx RMIT 2021 with the talk “Enjoy the Fun of Failure”, RMIT alumnus Nguyen Tran Van Thuy shared her journey of switching careers from a 2D animation artist to Co-founder of Bobi Craft, a business focusing on hand-crocheted children's toys and accessories with a global client base.

Having overcome failures in life, she encouraged young people to confidently choose the pathway they aspire to pursue and build a legacy from what they are following.

“We are all afraid of uncertainty, but what’s the fun of reading a book when you already know how it ends?” Ms Thuy said.

TEDx RMIT 2021 was themed ‘The One Legacy – Nothing is too big or too small’. TEDx RMIT 2021 was themed ‘The One Legacy – Nothing is too big or too small’.

From the first TEDx RMIT event in 2016 (which was also the first-ever student-organised TEDx event in Vietnam), the TEDx RMIT series has attracted hundreds of attendees each year. The 2021 edition broke records with around 1,200 registered participants, 11 speakers, and three sessions held over three days.

RMIT Bachelor of Communication (Professional Communication) student and project lead Hong Gia Han explained the idea behind this year’s theme ‘The One Legacy – Nothing is too big or too small’.

"To create a topic that fits with this year's TEDx series, our team decided to focus on RMIT's three core values and build questions around the imagination, passion, and impact of an individual's life journey. We hope that by attending this event, audiences will be encouraged to find meaning in all of the changes they make in their lives, no matter how big or small those changes are," said Han.

According to Ms Manuela Spiga, RMIT Regional Senior Manager of Careers, Industry and Alumni Relations, the 11 guest speakers were hand-picked for their inspirational life stories and rich experiences in a variety of industries.

“Through the authentic stories of the speakers, we wanted to give the audience a look behind real-life successes as well as struggles. The majority of our audience this year were RMIT current students and alumni early in their careers, so we hope they were able to take away useful lessons for their personal growth,” Ms Spiga said.

RMIT Bachelor of Communication (Professional Communication) student and member of the organising team Tran Nhat Minh added: “For some people, this might seem like just a small project that’s online and free. But for us students, it is already a legacy because ‘nothing is too big or too small’.”

Story: Ngoc Hoang

 

Watch the TEDx RMIT 2021 talks:

27 September 2021

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