Parkland High School, Napa-Sonoma Fire, Kilauea Volcano Eruption, #BlackLivesMatter, are a few events that happened in 2017-2018 that has left many hearts heavy. For many people, geographical distance may not mean disconnection: these tragedies can resonate in the collective heads and hearts of people nationwide. The presenter calls this impact on people community-tragedy(Cruz, Munoz, Victa, 2015). While community tragedy has ignited activism and action, it’s has also made it challenging for people to feel safe, a sense of belonging, and apathetic in their everyday lives. This tedx talk explores the concept of community-tragedy, the impact of such, and using compassion; both self and collective compassion, as a tool to navigate our everyday lives. While compassion isn’t a new terminology, coupling compassion with community-tragedy(Cruz, Munoz & Victa, 2015), will offer a deepened and groundbreaking understanding of what it means to be an effective leader today. Diana is currently the Department Manager of Associated Students’ César E. Chávez Community Action Center at San José State University. In this role, she directly oversees various civic engagement opportunities, support student advocacy efforts, and campus events centered in social justice.

Diana graduated from San Jose State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology. She received a Master of Arts in Organization and Leadership with an emphasis in Higher Education and Student Affairs at the University of San Francisco.

Diana is committed to using her voice and work to advocate and highlight the issues in education that directly impacts marginalized, underserved populations. Her scholarship and expertise is specifically focused on community tragedy, highly diverse institutions, digital leadership, highlighting and amplifying the work of social justice and multicultural spaces, and the importance of wellness and self-care in advocacy work. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx