Speakers share experiences from around the world for Changemaker Speaker Series

The Changemaker Speaker Series touring program returns to the Wachholz College Center with a new lineup of explorers, journalists and photographers.  

In its fourth season at the college center, the speaker series showcases speakers whose work reveals fascinating insights about the planet, each other and what people can do to create a better future. 

The series begins Nov. 18, with pioneering professional climber and “New York Times” bestselling author, Mark Synnott. An accomplished journalist, Synnott is a regular contributor to “National Geographic” magazine, and is the author of “The Impossible Climb: Alex Honnold, El Capitan and the Climbing Life.” In 2019, Mark summited Mount Everest via the Northeast Ridge, an adventure chronicled in his book “The Third Pole: Mystery, Obsession and Death on Mount Everest.” Synnott’s talk, The Everest Enigma, is the tale of his quest to solve the 100-year-old mystery of who summited Mount Everest first. It’s a modern-day detective story taking you from the archives of the Royal Geographical Society in London to high in the Death Zone, and then finally to the base.  

On Feb. 3, biologist-turned-photographer Anand Varma presents Exploring Nature’s Hidden Worlds. Varma will discuss how he uses innovative photography techniques to share the science and stories behind things the naked eye cannot perceive. From the mesmerizing life cycle of a honeybee to the lightning-fast wings of a hummingbird and by slowing down the fast, speeding up the slow and magnifying the miniature, his techniques enable people to see the beauty and complexity of the natural world. 

On April 7, travel with award-winning photojournalist Jodi Cobb through her career photographing our shared history in her presentation, 4 Decades: Through the Lens. 

Cobb “shattered the glass ceiling” as one of the first, and for a time, only female staff photographer at “National Geographic,” blazing a trail for future generations of female photojournalists. 

Her powerful imagery gave the world unprecedented access to hidden societies, from the elusive Geisha community in Japan to the veiled worlds of Arab women. Jodi has documented power, culture, geopolitics and oppression. 

Question-and-answer sessions and an audience meet and greet with speakers will be held after each presentation. 

Tickets to individual events range from $12 for teachers and seniors and $17 to $22 for adults, which includes service fees. Students in all grade levels are free.  

“These presentations are informative, educational and inspiring, and we are happy to be able to offer tickets to students ...,” Wachholz College Center Director Matt Laughlin said.  “We hope parents and students see these events as a great way to spend an evening together learning something new from some of the world’s most renowned explorers, photographers, award-winning journalists, filmmakers, innovators and engineers.”    

Tickets may be purchased online at wccmt.org or by calling 406-756-1400. The Wachholz is located at 795 Grandview Dr. in Kalispell. 

    Biologist-turned-photographer Anand Varma presents, Exploring Nature’s Hidden Worlds, Feb. 3. (Courtesy photo)
  

    Award-winning photojournalist Jodi Cobb takes the stage April 7 to present 4 Decades: Through the Lens. (Courtesy photo)