TEDx Dreams 2026 is a conference dedicated to ideas that begin as possibility and take shape through insight, creativity, and action. Centered on imagination, vision, and impact, the event brings together speakers, performers, and attendees to explore how dreams influence the way we think, create, and move forward.
Taking place on March 15, 2026, from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM, at the Sam Ibrahim Building, Arrow Innovation Hall, the day will feature a curated program of TEDx talks, live performances, and interactive experiences. From musical moments such as a live saxophone performance to engaging activities woven throughout the day, the itinerary is designed to keep audiences inspired, attentive, and connected.
TEDx Dreams 2026 offers a space to reflect, exchange ideas, and engage with perspectives that turn imagination into clarity, continuing TED’s mission of sharing ideas worth spreading.
MARCH 15
MEET OUR SPEAKERS
DR. ANDREW FORDE
ALUM • PROFESSOR • KPMG PARTNER • TOP 40 UNDER 40 LEADER
Dr. Andrew Forde is a Partner at KPMG Canada, in the national Data & AI Strategy practice, helping organizations navigate complex transformation at the intersection of technology, governance, and business performance. With a PhD in Engineering from the University of Toronto and a background as a NASA research scientist, Andrew brings a rare blend of technical depth and strategic foresight to his advisory work.
Andrew also serves as an Adjunct Professor of Applied Science and Engineering at the University of Toronto, where he teaches innovation, systems thinking, and the responsible deployment of emerging technologies. He was recognized as a Top 40 Under 40 emerging leader and is a frequent speaker on the future of digital transformation, the practical realities of AI adoption, and what it takes for institutions to thrive in a rapidly evolving technology landscape.
Shermin Kruse
UTSC ALUMNI • PROFESSOR • AUTHOR
Shermin Kruse, author of Stoic Empathy and producer of more than 80 TEDx talks worldwide, is a writer, speaker, and professor of law at Northwestern University, where she teaches negotiation, leadership, and global transactions/ethics. Born in Iran, her early experiences with authoritarianism and life shaped between worlds forged her focus on moral agency and power. Her work bridges philosophy, psychology, and lived experience to examine how we choose, or fail to choose, who we become.
How to Choose Your Life Before it Chooses You: A Stoic Self Audit
Between who we intend to be and who we become, lies a line we rarely see. This talk explores ethical drift and introduces a Stoic self-audit, so our lives reflect deliberate dreams rather than outcomes we slipped into without noticing.
Brian Harrington
UTSC PROFESSOR
Brian Harrington is a Teaching Stream Professor at the University of Toronto Scarborough. His research interests are computer science education, specifically as it relates to mental health and development of students, ethics of technology, and fostering social connection. He is the Co-Founder and Chief Research Officer at TalkLab, where he works to build conversational AI for use in training, education, and assessment. His goal is to build generative AI tools that are more trustworthy, less sycophantic, and more human focused.
AI is breaking the education system... Hooray!
This talk examines how generative AI has disrupted traditional assessment models, revealing long-standing flaws rooted in scale over equity. It reframes this “break” as an opportunity to redesign evaluations that more accurately, fairly, and meaningfully assess student learning.
Stephanie Lurch
PAEDIATRIC PHYSIOTHERAPIST • PROFESSOR • ANTI-OPPRESSION SCHOLAR
Stephanie Lurch is a paediatric physiotherapist, professor, and anti-oppression scholar working where healthcare, education, and equity collide. As one of the few Black physiotherapists in Canada who both teaches and maintains an active clinical practice, she speaks from inside systems that heal, harm, and decide who belongs. Over three decades, Stephanie has shaped how more than 3,000 graduate clinicians understand power, care, and responsibility. Her work is grounded in lived experience as a Black woman in medicine and professional work across three continents, including touring with Cirque du Soleil. Known for talks that challenge comfort and demand accountability, she uses story, movement, and truth-telling to expose how power moves through systems and into bodies. Stephanie is confirmed to deliver two TEDx talks in 2026 focused on power, justice, and rehumanizing healthcare.
Medicine Needs Medicine
Healthcare was designed to treat illness. But what happens when the system becomes the patient? Drawing on stories from the clinic and classroom, Stephanie Lurch exposes how power, hierarchy, and inequity shape care, and offers a prescription for transforming medicine from the inside out.
Mustafa Alshardoub
UTSC STUDENT
Mustafa Alshardoub is a Psychology and Health Sciences student at the University of Toronto Scarborough, pursuing specialization in mental health. He is a person with a physical disability and lives with a rare condition affecting fewer than 500 diagnosed individuals worldwide. Recently arrived in Canada as a refugee, he is a recipient of the University of Toronto International Merit Award. Mustafa is also a content creator and Mississauga center Member of parliament Youth Council member. His work focuses on the mental health of children, adolescents, refugees, and persons with disabilities, with strong advocacy for human rights, disability rights, and refugee rights.
I Didn’t Survive the Fire. I Became It.
Mustafa shares a personal story at the intersection of disability and displacement, confronting racism and discrimination. Through human-centered storytelling and psychological insight, he reflects on how exclusion shaped his identity and challenges narrow definitions of “normal,” belonging, and dignity.
John Edward McGraw
MULTICULTURAL WORKPLACE EXPERT • HUMAN CONNECTION SPEAKER
John Edward McGraw is a Multicultural Workplace Expert, Inclusive Communication Specialist, and Human Connection Speaker who helps organizations navigate cultural complexity and integrate international talent effectively. As founder of Hiyaku Coaching, he draws on fifteen years of teaching English in Japan and Canada, combined with an ICF coaching credential, to strengthen organizational cultural fluency and retention. John works with leaders to identify and address cultural assumptions that create workplace disconnection, fostering inclusive environments where diverse teams achieve high performance. His expertise centers on transforming cultural differences into strategic organizational advantages.
Crazy Bus Guy and the Stories We Write Too Fast
"Crazy Bus Guy and the Stories We Write Too Fast" explores how unconscious assumptions create barriers to belonging in diverse environments. John Edward McGraw presents an evidence-informed approach to fostering inclusive communities where cultural complexity becomes organizational strength.
Luis Antonio Salvador
UTSC ALUM
Luis is a University of Toronto alum and an international student from the Philippines. He received multiple academic and leadership awards during his education and has lived and worked in both Toronto and Manila. These experiences have shaped his perspective on opportunity across different systems and exposed him to both the highs and lows of that journey. Along the way, he has had to balance ambition with responsibility, and opportunity with sacrifice, across different cultural and social contexts. As a result, he understands the personal trade-offs behind global mobility and the weight of life-defining choices, even at a young age.
Why The Grass Isn't Always Greener
In his TEDx talk, Luis explores the reality of migration, questioning the belief that opportunity and success are tied to specific locations. He invites audiences to rethink what a “better life” truly means when shaped by their values and priorities.