Grinnell College: Who is a Superhero?

"Who is a superhero?" President Raynard S. Kington asks a capacity crowd of several hundred youth at TEDx Youth Des Moines, a locally-organized event focused on young people in the region.

With examples from Batman and Wonder Woman to real-life heroes James Kofi Annan and Septima Clark, Kington explores what makes a hero. "Real world heroes might seem superhuman, but in reality they're really ordinary people like you and me," he told them. "The passion can turn any one of us from ordinary Clark Kents into Superman or Superwoman," he adds.

Brandy Agerbeck '96, a graphic facilitator from Chicago, illustrated Kington's talk as he spoke. Her final illustration is a snapshot of the speech.

For those unfamiliar with the TED talks, TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. Started as a four-day conference in California 25 years ago, it has grown to support independently-organized TEDx events around the world. Speakers have included Bill Gates, Jane Goodall and Isabel Allende, among many others.

University Press Release here.