An exciting new addition to our newsletter is a student-led interview with past CWA speakers. Students will conduct interviews with CWA speakers asking about their experiences during conference week and where they are now! We hope you enjoy this new addition!
This month’s interview is with CWA Alum, Ty Tashiro. Ty was interviewed by Jordan Brooks, CWA Student Volunteer Coordinator and Human Condition Committee Chair.
What is your history with CWA?
My first year speaking at CWA was in 2016. One of the community leaders that year was Susan Hellie, who had heard about me through her daughter Marissa, one of my best friends in New York City. Susan quickly sold me on the conference, and after my first day of panels, I was a CWA believer. I have come back six times since that first year—speaking on panels about online dating, modern love, friendship, science communication, and other intriguing topics.
What have you been up to since your last CWA conference?
To satisfy my restless nature, I usually split my time between writing, speaking, and consulting. Since my last CWA, I worked on an interesting project for a psychedelic pharmaceutical company, building an artificial intelligence system to analyze why psychedelics work so quickly on severe cases of depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, and a few other psychological challenges. I’ve also been working through some new writing projects that have really pushed me out of my comfort zone, and hopefully, some of them will be done before I see you all at the next CWA.
What is one of your favorite CWA memories or experiences?
My favorite memories are about the people involved with CWA—the community, staff, faculty, but especially the student volunteers. In case some folks don’t know, CWA students are an exceptional bunch and responsible for so many of the good things that happen at the conference. Over the course of a few days, I get to know some of them as individuals, and invariably, I find them to be incredibly curious, refreshingly open-minded, and eager to create real change in the world.
What advice would you give to future CWA speakers?
Compared to other experiences I have as a speaker, the CWA panel format creates an opportunity for unexpected insights and new ideas. To unlock this novelty, I think it’s helpful to follow my friend Blair’s advice about how to create a great conversation, “It’s not about being interesting; it’s about being interested.”
If you would like to learn more about Ty and his work, visit his website at www.tytashiro.com.