If you don't explore, you won't really question and all it takes is one real question to tilt you to places you can't even imagine. Jordan had questions that couldn't be answered on a scantron, so he spent a year from college riding his bike and exploring South America in search of his answers.
Jordan Thomas, Anthropology major, is interested in analyzing the social effects of food systems and exploring the potential of urban food systems. He investigated correlations between language, ritual and agriculture in the Taos Pueblo Native American community, New Mexico. He helped a nonprofit build an urban farm in the inner city - reflection of this effort, “A Seed to Save the World,” was published in Popular Resistance magazine. He conducted research on gardening in a retirement community, co-creating a documentary, “To Live in This World,” which he presented at an international film festival in France and published in the Journal of Video Ethnography. In 2014, he undertook a bicycle journey from Kansas to South America. He is a Marshall Scholar, receiving full funding for postgraduate study at Cambridge, England.
This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at ted.com/tedx