Twelve variations on an idea were offered by twelve speakers who gathered on the stage of the Humanities Theatre, Nov. 12.

These speakers, each with a strong connection to the University of Waterloo, were brought together by TEDxUW, a one-day conference designed to facilitate the spread of great ideas originating within the Waterloo community.

With this mission in mind, and influenced by the theme “Catalysts for Tomorrow,” each speaker offered their own insights, passion, and ideas. Their chosen topics were varied, ranging from personal stories of triumph and inspiration to visions for changing the world, but each sought to address one question:

How are you going to be a catalyst for tomorrow?

Not surprisingly, the answer to that question was different for each speaker and audience member — as we suspect it would also be for you, the reader. There is a common theme present — a concise exhortation to not sit idle but rather to embrace the role of a catalyst — but the personal conclusions which each observer will draw from this theme are bound to be different.

On that note, we present to you our concise interpretation of each speaker’s message, an aggregated version of audience feedback offered via Twitter. We hope that, in this small way, we can help you draw your own conclusions — and serve as a catalyst for you to develop your own ideas worth spreading.