Theme: Forward

Progression, innovation, and empowerment.
How and where do we see ourselves in the world to move forward? A critical yet compelling question.
Our theme “Forward” embodies our commitment to embracing change, driving positive impact, and striving to push beyond the apparent. From the embedment of technology in arts and music, to the everlasting development of scientific research, and to the environmental works that impact us everyday, moving Forward also consists of continuous explorations in interdisciplinary and evolvement amongst these fields. Forward, to envision the future that lies ahead of us, to discover unknown possibilities, and, unitedly, to breakthrough and tackle global challenges.

Helm - Temple Family Theatre - Theatre
St. Stephen's Dr, 6500 St Stephens Dr
Austin, Texas, 78746
United States

Ali McLafferty

History teacher + Executive member of the Texas State Historical Society

Ali McLafferty received her PhD at UC Berkeley, where she taught as an Adjunct Professor for a year before becoming one of the Founding Faculty of the (then) brand new Nueva Upper School in San Mateo, California. She and her family then moved to Austin, TX, where she works as a History teacher at St. Stephen's School. She is also an executive member of the Texas State Historical Society, where she serves on the Educational Services Committee and Publishing Committee.

Ayaan Moledina

Student

Ayaan Moledina is a 15-year old in Austin, Texas who first got involved with activism at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic when he worked on public health & pro-vaccine policy and grassroots campaigns. Since then, he has worked on multiple public health, education, youth mental health, & civic engagement policy campaigns. Given his lived experiences with mental health, he is passionate about expanding suicide prevention resources for students across the country. Ayaan has been honored by organizations such as the Texas American Federation of Teachers (AFT), The Westly Foundation, & The Congressional Award Foundation. He now serves as the Federal Policy Director at Students Engaged in Advancing Texas (SEAT), a movement of young people developing transferable skills & demonstrating youth visibility in policymaking. Additionally, he is an Executive Council member of Team ENOUGH which works to educate young people about gun violence & mobilize them to take meaningful action to prevent it.

Brendan Whyburn

Professional Musician

Brendan Whyburn is a professional musician based out of Austin, TX. He began his musical journey as a guitarist, playing in bands and touring all over the country. Brendan has been the lead guitarist in Sarah and the Sundays for the past 5 years, and has experienced much of what it means to be a working musician in our world today.

Charlie Hubbard

Student + Podcaster

Charlie Hubbard is a 12th-grade student at St. Stephen’s Episcopal School and the host of The ProFiles Podcast, which he launched in 2022. With over 40 interviews to date, Charlie has engaged with a diverse range of high performers, including CEOs, athletes, scientists, and thought leaders, exploring the what, how, and why behind career success.

Chas Moore

Activist and Community Organizer

Chas Moore is a renowned activist and community organizer dedicated to uplifting Black, Indigenous, and people of color, impoverished communities, and those impacted by systemic oppression. As the founder of the Austin Justice Coalition (AJC), Chas has spearheaded major reform efforts, including the creation of the Austin Police Department’s Use of Force policy and the successful reallocation of $150 million from the police budget to fund public safety alternatives. His work has earned national recognition, such as the 2019 Nathan Cummings Foundation Fellowship and the Unlocked Futures Cohort backed by John Legend. Chas began his activism as a student at the University of Texas at Austin, addressing various social issues that continue to shape his work today. Through AJC, he remains committed to dismantling oppressive systems and building equitable futures for marginalized communities.

Colin Hancock

Jazz musician

Colin Hancock (28) is a two time-Grammy Nominated Jazz musician and historian from Austin, Texas. As a child, he was drawn to the sounds of early jazz, blues, ragtime and old time music. Since then, he’s built his musical career around playing and recording in that style of music and the technology around it, as well as preserving historical recordings for future generations to enjoy. He currently leads the Joymakers, an 8 piece hot jazz band focused on the sounds of 1920s territory bands of the South and Southwestern US.

Gigi Edward Bryant

Founder of GMSA Management Services

Rooted in faith and a deep commitment to supporting families and children, Gigi Edwards Bryant focuses on critical issues like education, foster care, and recovery from substance abuse. She embodies the belief that all doors open through education. Growing up in the Texas foster care system has shaped her promise to herself to use her voice and resources to create positive change. Her fifty-year journey since foster care includes a full arena moment by serving as chair of the Department of Family Services Board, appointed by the Governor. After 20 years in information systems, she founded GMSA Management Services, which emphasizes community engagement and lobby services, and Write to Me Foundation, which focuses on providing rite of passage experiences to children in the foster care system. She earned an Associate of Applied Science in Management, a bachelor’s from St. Edward’s University, an MBA from UT Dallas, and a Certificate of Ministry from Austin Theological Seminary.

Jennifer Xia

Digital Outreach Advocate at Asian Family Support Services

Jenn Xia (she/her) graduated from the University of Texas at Austin Moody Honors Program with a journalism degree. She is currently the digital outreach advocate at Asian Family Support Services of Austin, a nonprofit providing culturally grounded care to Asian and immigrant survivors of violence. In her role, she creates prevention-focused, educational content on boundaries, consent, and intergenerational communication and supports the community education team with outreach programming, such as workshops on healthy masculinity and how to talk about boundaries in Asian, immigrant, households. Jenn is passionate about storytelling as a bridge for cross-coalition building in marginalized communities and as a touchpoint for connection in a world where we're all trying to feel heard.

Ksenia Nation

Architect

Ksenia Nation, AIA, NCARB, WELL AP, LEED BD+C is an architect living in Austin, TX. After a decade of working on large scale commercial project, she recently started working for Texas Historical Commission. When studying for master's degree at UTSA in beautiful historic San Antonio, it became apparent to her that there is no just one approach to architecture. Ksenia has wide range of experience in applying sustainability principles and historic preservation in her work, and is always looking for ways to use them in every project.

Lauren Ehrlich

Professor in the Molecular Biosciences + immunologist

Dr. Lauren Ehrlich is a Professor in the Department of Molecular Biosciences at The University of Texas at Austin, where she holds the L. Leon Campbell, Ph.D. Distinguished Professorship in Microbiology. Dr. Ehrlich’s research focuses on elucidating how T cells in the immune system are educated in the thymus to recognize the myriad pathogens encountered throughout life, while avoiding autoimmune recognition of healthy cells. In addition, she studies the role of signals in the microenvironment that support progression of the pediatric cancer T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Dr. Ehrlich began her foray into immunology research as an undergraduate at Yale University (B.S. in Biology) and cemented her passion for T cell biology and the study of self-tolerance as a Ph.D. student in Immunology at Stanford University. In her free time, Dr. Ehrlich plays the piano, goes on walks, and generally enjoys life in Austin with her husband, two daughters, parents, and dog.

Lawrence Sampleton

Football Player + Coach + Associate Head of School for Enrollment Management

Lawrence had a distinguished career as a football player with the University of Texas Longhorns and continued into the NFL with the Philadelphia Eagles and the Miami Dolphins. After retiring from football, he received a BA from St. Edward’s University. During his 33 years working at St. Stephen’s, he has served as the head girls basketball coach, head track coach and head football coach while simultaneously managing his other responsibilities as a dorm parent, residential administrator, advisor, and his current position as Associate Head of School for Enrollment Management and Financial Aid. He is a former Board Chair for the Enrollment Management Association and is currently a member of the UT at Austin College of Liberal Arts Advisory Council and The UT Development Board. He also serves on the boards of the National Association of Episcopal Schools and The Association of Boarding Schools. He has been married to Libbi Sampleton for 36 years and they have two children, Evan and Maya.

Michael Osborne

Climate Scientist + Audio Producer

Michael Osborne is a climate scientist turned audio producer. Michael heads 14th Street Studios, a podcast production and marketing firm based in Austin, TX. He started his first podcast, Generation Anthropocene, while he was finishing his PhD in climate science at Stanford. After completing his doctorate, he spent five years running a podcast incubator for Stanford. During that time he created his second show, Raw Data, which partnered with PRX. He currently hosts Famous & Gravy – biographies from a different point of view, which partners with Wondery. In his role at 14th Street Studios, Michael specializes in creative development and podcast marketing for individuals and organizations.

Tanuj Nakra

Plastic Surgeon

Tanuj Nakra, MD, FACS is a triple board-certified oculofacial plastic surgeon at TOC Eye and Face and serves as full-time faculty at Dell Medical School at UT-Austin, where he also directs a fellowship program. He has authored over 80 peer-reviewed articles, frequently lectures at international conferences, and co-founded AVYA Skincare and Global Cosmetic Surgery. After training at UCLA, Dr. Nakra practiced in Beverly Hills and Santa Barbara before establishing his practice in Austin. He is particularly passionate about the intersection of artistry and humanistic medicine.