Get to Know Maigh Jammu of TEDxCU 2019
Give us some background on yourself. Where are you from, what brought you to CU, what are you studying, what are your hobbies?
I am a Colorado native! I am from a small Denver Metro suburb called Parker where I grew up and graduated high school. My family moved to Parker, CO nearly 30 years ago from Canada and India respectively. I originally came to CU because it was the only in-state school I applied to and I was not really sure why I was here initially. I came in as an IPHY major with the Public Health Certificate but realized that biology/pre-medicine is not my calling. I am currently studying Computer Science (BA) with a minor in Mathematics (might make that a major, we’ll see). What brings me to CU now is the amazing opportunities for research and community engagement. I have also fallen under the curse of the Flatirons despite my best efforts. My hobbies are hiking, playing the cello, drinking high quality Desi chai, snowshoeing, reading, cooking/baking, spending time with family and friends, and writing.
What inspired you to give a Tedx Talk?
I was inspired to give a TEDx talk after watching Balpreet Kaur’s TEDx talk that she gave at Ohio State University and JJ Singh Kapur’s speech and debate on original oratory pieces. Their work inspired me to draw on my observations about the intersection of my faith and modern culture in order to provide insight to people of all backgrounds about the Sikh tradition. Watching Balpreet and JJ give speeches made me realize that I also have the potential to speak about my heritage in a way that reaches audiences globally.
What was the application process like?
Well, if I am totally honest here, I applied to give a TEDx talk as almost a joke. I was a freshman in college at the time and knew my chances were super slim but decided to apply just to see what would happen. I was not expecting my application to really get anywhere. I sent in a paragraph blurb in October of last year and did not hear back from the speaker’s committee until early December. Then, I gave an audition on what my potential TEDx talk would be by creating a script, memorizing it, and giving a talk to the speaker’s committee. I gave my audition around early December and by the end of finals week, I got the news that I was invited to be a speaker at TEDxCU 2019!
How did you prepare for the day of the event?
I first wrote the manuscript and had it rigorously edited by the speaker’s committee. Then, I spent easily 100-200 hours practicing my speech on my own and with my speech coach. I would be walking in between classes, saying my speech out-loud and getting some funny looks from people who passed by me, but I honestly did not care. We had regular practice sessions for our talks where we would receive feedback on how our talk was going and what we needed to improve on. The day of, I made sure to not consume any dairy products and drink lots of liquids to make sure that my voice was ready for the event. I remember the day of being so nervous and literally rushing to get dressed. The half hour before giving my talk, I actually said my talk out loud out of order and at that point I was scared the entire thing was not going to turn out well. Thankfully, the event went well!
In your Tedx Talk you discussed your Sikh heritage and religious practice and issues of bullying and belonging. Can you offer some more insight on why you shared and discussed what you did and why? Why is it important to you?
I shared my story because I believe that we can all learn something new from people who are different from us. Oftentimes when people meet me in classes or in public, they have snap judgements about me based on how I dress. I wanted to share my story to get people to understand our common humanity and how we all share the common experience of life together. We can all learn something new from each other if we work to overcome our biases and I think that this is especially true with what I shared. I think talking about my story is also important because very few Sikh women wear turbans and I want to be a role model for young Sikh women.
Check out the talk here: www.colorado.edu/masp/maigh-jammu-tedxcu-2019.