My name is Niquan Dawson. I’m a 2015 Bezos Scholar and have lived in the Chicago area my entire life. I currently reside in St. Charles, a western suburb of Chicago. When I was a Scholar, my Community Change Project focused on fine arts, specifically showcasing the art of students within my community. My Scholar year taught me valuable lessons about leadership—particularly the importance of showing and sharing vulnerability when managing a project in a leadership position. Currently, I’m pursing a Master of Healthcare Administration at the University of Illinois (UI) at Chicago and serve as the Graduate Assistant for Marketing & Strategic Communications at UI Health Hospital.  

The Bezos Scholars Program has had a partnership with TED Fellows and TED-Ed programs for many years. The TED Fellows program provides transformational support to a global community of more than 500 remarkable individuals collaborating across disciplines to spark future-shaping change around the world. TED-Ed — TED's youth and education initiative — aims to spark and celebrate the ideas and knowledge-sharing of teachers and students with an award-winning education platform that serves millions globally. 

Annually, alumni are invited to apply to various opportunities with select TED programs and teams. Two years ago, I was invited to apply to serve as a TED Fellows intern at TED Vancouver, their main, annual conference. The application detailed responsibilities and opportunities, including interacting closely with world-changing Fellows, attending conference events, and helping with event logistics and production. This opportunity immediately piqued my interest because it seemed like a great way to further develop both my interpersonal communication and leadership skills, in addition to working with inspiring individuals.  

I was excited to apply for my first passport and submitted my application for TED Vancouver. A few weeks later, I was accepted to be the Fellows intern! Filled with joy and astonishment, I began planning for the trip and researching Fellows. Unfortunately, a couple of months later, the pandemic changed everyone’s plans and TED Vancouver 2020 was canceled. The internship was put on hold, pending the return of safe, in-person conferences.  

Fast forward to July 2021. I found myself in Monterey, California, finally serving as an intern for the Fellows team at the first in-person TED conference since 2019. TED Monterey was everything I imagined: engaging, thought-provoking, and socially stimulating. The 2021 Fellowswho were able to attend were such fun to work and hang out with! This year's cohort represents 14 countries across five continents, and each Fellow was selected for their remarkable achievements, the potential impact of their work and their commitment to community-building.  

A welcome dinner included many laughs and learning about the amazing work and impact of Fellows. I was drawn to Tom Osborn’s work addressing mental health in African youth and Rohan Pavuluri’s work with Upsolve “To fight for a legal & financial system we can all access.” Even more impressive was the TED Fellows session which featured talks and performances from some of the Fellows. One of my favorite talks was by Dr. Jenna Lester because of its focus on equity in medicine and dermatology, addressing “the exclusion of non-white patients in medical research and practice.” I was able to attend other TED sessions, most notably for me, Adam Grant’s talk on languishing, which resonated with many related to shared impacts of the pandemic. 

The Fellows staff was just as fun and welcoming as the Fellows themselves. Ankita Bhanot led the curation of this year’s amazing gift bags, which is no small feat, and provided me with guidance in navigating TED Monterey. I also had the chance to meet and work with 2013 Bezos Scholar, Joseph Dobson, who also was a former TED intern and now currently works on the TED Fellows team as an Associate Technical Program Manager. 

In the past, I attended Chicago Aspen Challenge events and interned at the TED-Ed 2017 conference. Throughout my recent experience as a TED intern—at team dinners, rehearsals and even conversations about the best electric toothbrushes—the greatest lesson I learned was that networking can be fun and common interests connect individuals from different walks of life. These experiences are always personally and professionally enriching. Being a Bezos Scholar does not end after your Scholar year. I am grateful for BSP staff’s continued engagement and for the opportunities provided to Scholar alumni which have made all the difference in my life.