FHC Inspires Q&As 2022: Hayden Bolter
Name: Hayden Bolter
Position: Speaker
TED Talk title: Legacy
Why did you apply to be a speaker?
“I applied for FHC Inspires because I thought it would be a really good opportunity to help inspire people in my community and to be able to work on my public speaking skills and presentation skills. I also think that this experience would be something really memorable, and I didn’t want to pass up the opportunity.”
How are you feeling about speaking at FHC Inspires?
“Right now, I guess I would say that I’m apprehensive and a little excited. I wouldn’t say at this point I’m fully prepared, which is a little nerve-wracking, but I feel like it’ll be fun.”
What was the process of picking the perfect TED Talk topic?
“I really didn’t know for a bit, but I saw an inspirational TikTok about legacy and what it is and everything along with that, and it made me think about my TED Talk. So when it came to picking them, I knew what I wanted to do. It was also a lot of thinking about motivational things that have helped me in my life, and things that are important for me to talk about that I thought others would be interested to hear about.”
What does your message mean to you?
“My message means a lot because it is about improving a lot of simple and small things in our lives that will have a big impact on what our legacies will be in the future. And legacies are just so important because they reflect what you did in your life and how you impacted the things and people around you, which is just huge; I would never want to just be there, I would want to actively leave an impact and not be forgotten.”
Who is your target audience?
“I would say my target audience for my TED Talk in the lecture hall was definitely aimed at high schoolers, but I’m currently adapting it to be more applicable to a larger audience and more diverse audience of people, which I think will help it be even better.”
Did you ever see yourself speaking at FHC Inspires?
“I think I had it in the back of my mind ever since last year, but I never revisited the thought until spring break time and the initial TED Talk time. So, I guess I did see myself doing it, but I never really thought about it until after I did my first TED Talk.”
What are you doing to prepare for the big night?
“This week is all revision for me. I’m changing my intro and a bit of my conclusion and adding to my main points. Then, I have to change my slideshow a bit. But once I nail down how I want to say things, next week will be all practice and run-throughs.”
How does your Google Slide presentation reflect your topic?
“I tried to keep my presentation pretty simple and blank so people are more focused on what I’m saying rather than the screen, but I’m gonna really try to find relevant pictures of me and things in my life so that they can serve as examples and help the audience connect to me a little more.”
What’s a mobile game you’re currently hooked on?
“I just got into Wordscapes again because my friend and I were playing it on the ride home and at one of our Crew regattas, so I’ve been playing that a lot.”