SMU Tate Lecture Series: Robin Roberts

Last night I had the opportunity to hear Robin Roberts speak at the SMU Tate lecture series. She was one of the best speakers I have heard at the Tate lecture series. I really enjoyed hearing about her life and how she has gone through so many trials in her life and beaten the odds against her not once with cancer, but twice.

She was a great speaker, funny and really made the audience feel that she was talking directly to them. She talked about what it was like the day she was diagnosed with breast cancer and how she did not want anyone to know at first, to eventually telling the GMA audience, and the world about her diagnosis in hopes to help others going through the same trials she was about to go through. She talked about her childhood and the influence her parents had on she and her siblings. She talked about her second diagnosis and how hard it was to go through that as her own mother passed away from complications of a stroke, and how she was in the room at that very moment and the impact that experience has had on her life. She told about her low points while she was in isolation and the decision to go forward with treatment after the loss of her mother and how her sister was a bone marrow match and how their bond strengthened after this experience. She said no one wishes to get cancer but has been able to use her job to be there for people as a messenger of hope. She also shared about how she came out to the world via social media and how fast the word spread as she wrote in an innocent tweet thank you to my partner who has been there for me. Many people commented and it was trending in a matter of hours.

At the end they had questions that were submitted by Twitter for the first time and a few live audience questions. One of the most interesting questions was how does she decide what to share on social media about her life and what to not share. I thought that was an excellent question when we are living in a time when so many people overshare information and learning what they should and should not share and how to decide.

It was so fun to see and hear her speak and it is easy to see her passion is sharing her life experiences with those around her in hopes of just saving one life. This was one of my favorite lectures because she was interactive with the audience and really wanted people to understand and know where she had come from and how those early years helped to form her into the woman she is today.

My favorite Tate lecture series talks I have seen are

Michael J. Fox- click here for my review
Martin Sheen- click here for my review
Dian Keaton- Click here for my review
Tony Blair- Click here for my review
George W. Bush-

SMU Tate Lecture series: Michael J. Fox

Tonight, my mom and I went to hear Michael J. Fox at the SMU Tat lecture series. Michael J. Fox has been one of my most favorite actors of all time, and was in my most favorite movie Back to the Future. He did a great job of telling the story of his life from childhood to today. He told many stories from his life. He talked about his maternal Grandmother called Nana, and how she had a gift of telling the future. He talked of his parents and his wife.

He was very funny and kept the audience engaged with his life's story. He told of how he met his wife and marrying her was the best decision he has ever made. Talked openly about his diagnosis with Parkinson's and how he went through different stages of dealing with the disease. He said that it took him a while to realize that it was not just about him but about the impact he was making on so many other people by coming out about having Parkinson's. He told a story of a woman who thanked him for making people more aware of the disease and at that moment he realized he was the face to teach people more of this disease. Also, the point of his lecture was to enjoy today because you never know what will happen in the future. To live in the present and to accept yourself for who you are.

In the end people had the opportunity to ask him questions. There were several great questions asked. One person asked about Parkinson's and what his advise would be to family members of people with Parkinson's. Fox's answer was to treat them as they would anyone else and except them as they are. He also said to remember that Parkinson's looks different in every person. Another asked him what his favorite actor to work with was. He named several and said Sean Penn was his favorite most difficult actor to work with. Another asked him if he could go anywhere like in Back to the Future, where would he go. His answer was the future, to see what it has in store. The person also told him he was her first movie star crush. Another question was what was the best advise someone had given him about acting. He said when you are acting to find one person in the audience and connect with that person. Which is very true. The last question asked was saying that he has been an inspiration to so many, who was someone who was his inspiration. His answer was great. He said there were so many that inspired him in his life from friends to family, his wife and children.  He said also kids who are going through things such as cancer and loosing limbs were people who inspired him. He was saying something about everyone around me inspires me. It was a great answer and I enjoyed hearing him speak. 

SMU Tate Lecture Series: Tony Blair

Tonight I had the opportunity to see Tony Blair at the Tate Lecture series held at SMU. I had a great time hearing him speak. He told lots of funny jokes and funny things that happened to him while he was Prime Minister of Brittan. He started off by telling about the British election system and how you have to move into 10 downing street the day after you are elected. Also, he mentioned a tradition that the new prime minister has to meet with the queen and ever so lightly kiss the hand of the queen. However, he ended up tripping over something and did not slightly brush her hand but went straight on. It was pretty funny. Also, he was the first prime minister to have a child while he was in office in the past 200 years. That is a little known fact I thought was interesting.
Mr. Blair spoke on the war in Iraq and what needs to be done to help win it. I thought he made some very good points and explained that many people think that "if only" Saddam or the Taliban had been thrown out earlier then we would not be where we are. However, I do not believe that we should be saying "if only" because you never know what could have happened instead or if September 11th could have still happened regardless. He went on to point out that extremest become that way over time and many years of oppression or teaching. I thought that was an interesting point, certainly one I had not thought of before. Also, he said that this is a generational war. I do think that it has changed the world as we know it and as we move on things will continue to change. In the end of his speech touched on what it is like in different countries and poverty as well as poverty in his own country. I thought it was interesting and agreed with him on this point. That a lot of times the problem with the people who are in poverty is certainly the circumstances but also you have to look at where that person has come from. You have to look at what kind of family life the child had or did not have. He said that the most important thing is not what level of socio-economic class you are in but how much you are loved and wanted by your care takers. Often times children who get stuck in poverty do not have caretakers or do not have a strong bond or relationship with a parent or guardian.
I feel that after my student teaching experience this past year I totally agree with Mr. Blair and his observation on how much the child is loved and cared for should be the number one goal of the parent or care taker. I feel that so many times people get stuck in a cycle that is seen in the United Kingdom as well as the United States. I feel that if so many of the children are loved they do not care if they have a lot or not. Mr. Blair gave the example of his own dad and how he was poor and able to make something of himself but most of all that his dad was loved and that is all he needed. Love is one of the most important characteristics that we as humans share. Mr. Blair also touched on a new project that he is starting to work on. He will be working on getting people together with different backgrounds to come together as one and see beyond the differences of culture and religion and look onto our similarities. I thought that is a great idea to get people to see each other for their commonalities and not so much there differences. I feel that this is a great start to a world that is more global than it has ever been before and each day has more opportunity for people to be connected in new ways never imagined before.
So in conclusion to this very long post I must say that I very much enjoyed the opportunity to hear a prime minister speak who has seen the world though so much change in the way we communicate and see the world.

SMU Tate Lecture Series: Martin Sheen

Tonight I had the opportunity to go to the SMU Tate lecture series and see Martin Sheen speek. I think he is a great actor and person. I really enjoyed seeing and hearing the person behind the actor. He had many great stories to tell and kept the audience over the time but I enjoyed what he had to say. I think that he is someone that puts his whole self in everything he does from acting to public speaking and his life in general. I think it was very interesting learning about an actor from an actor and felt that that information is the best kind. I feel that Martin Sheen is a very interesting man who has made it though many obsticals in his life in which he shared with the audience and the obsticals of his family.
There were great questions asked by audience members. My favorate one was from an SMU student. He asked what Martin thought about the media and the images todays stars are leaving on todays youth. I thought Martin answered this one very well. He said that actors are just regular people with regular and some not so regular problems. And he talked about the battle of addiction and how being a celeberty is hard with people watching your every step. Also, Martin gave lots of great advise to students studying theater. I thought it was great that when he was asked if he had to do it all over again and be an actor would he. He said he would do it all over again because it is something inside him that is a driving force.
So with all this said and I know that I did not do a very good job in summing up what i heard tonight. I am so glad that I was able to go and see an actor in a once in a lifetime opportunity to hear a great actor speak as himself. During this interview, I could not stop but think I feel like I am on the set of the guy on Brovo, who interviews movie stars, you know the one with the blue cue cards, I am not sure of his name. But, it was a great evening for me to spend learning more about the private life and thoughts of a very public figgure.