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Leaving SXSW EDU 2025 Inspired and Hopeful
- Lauren Brits
- Mar 13
- 4 min read
Elyse Klaidman, CEO and Co-founder of Xperiential, and Tony DeRose, CTO and Co-founder of Xperiential, attended the 2025 SXSW EDU Conference and Festival from March 3 to 6, joining over four thousand educators, learners, entrepreneurs, and visionaries who came together in Austin, Texas to share ideas, network, and create the future of teaching and learning.
“In a world facing deep challenges, it was a joy and privilege to be surrounded by educators, innovators, and changemakers shaping the future of learning. Conversations were deep. Ideas were bold. The commitment to meaningful, accessible education—undeniable. I walked away energized, challenged, and with a renewed sense of purpose.” Elyse remarked.
Tony DeRose was a speaker on the Humanities 2.0: Data Storytelling Across Curricula panel. This panel discussed data-driven approaches that help foster meaningful interdisciplinary connections, advance critical thinking, and build valuable analytical skills. Attendees learned how data skills and student creativity can collide in the humanities, social studies, and the English classroom, unlocking new levels of learning while increasing student engagement.
Tony spoke about his transition from professor at the University of Washington, to senior scientist at Pixar Animation Studios and finally to co-founding X in a Box, now known as Xperiential, and how filmmaking, particularly animation, relies heavily on data skills to extract the implicit data from the huge data set created by the process of animation and how storytelling is in everything we do and what makes us human.
Listen to the panel here: https://schedule.sxswedu.com/2025/events/PP150875
One of the most moving experiences for Elyse was Big Picture Learning's Leadership Journeys. BPL described it as a social and networking event inviting people to join ‘exceptional leaders of color from across the country who embrace the notion that sharing deeply personal stories of vulnerability is the path forward toward collective dopeness.’
“It reminded us that storytelling is at the heart of education. We witnessed brilliant, resilient, and vulnerable human beings share their lived experiences—stories of strength, hope, and joy in the face of difficulty and oppression. They challenged us to listen more, lead with empathy and recognize the transformative power of human connection.” said Elyse of the event.
Dr. Christopher Emdin and Sam Seidel, co-editors of From White Folks Who Teach in the Hood: Reflections on Race, Culture and Identity (Beacon, 2024), discussed the dynamics of white educators in public schools predominantly populated with people of color, in their session From White Folks Who Teach in the Hood: Is This Conversation Against the Law Now? It encouraged white educators to partake in a critical conversation confronting privilege, power dynamics and the role of educators.
The final session Elyse and Tony attended was AI & the Future of Education featuring Sinead Bovell (WAYE) and Natalie Monbiot (Virtual Human Economy) which dove into what educators can and cannot know about a future with artificial intelligence, the impact AI will have on our world and the workforce, and the implications for education.
Elyse expanded on her experience of the fireside chat by saying, “This was one of the most insightful sessions for me at SXSW EDU. They emphasized that AI is reshaping society as fundamentally as electricity once did. They made the case that AI literacy is essential, and lack of access will only deepen inequality. We need to teach AI as a hard skill, helping students ask the right questions and critically evaluate AI-generated answers. Rather than resisting AI in education, we must adapt—moving away from outdated notions of “cheating” and instead rethinking assessment and learning. But the real challenge isn’t just about AI integration; it’s about prioritizing human skills—critical thinking, adaptability, creativity, and collaboration—to prepare students for a future where AI is a tool, not a replacement.”
Listen to the fireside chat here: https://schedule.sxswedu.com/2025/events/PP1146256
The takeaways from SXSW EDU for us were:
Creativity is a human skill that must be prioritized. Committing to fostering creativity in learning and designing with kids, not systems, in mind.
AI will fundamentally change education. The challenge: ensuring ethical adoption & equipping students with the human skills AI cannot replicate—critical thinking, resilience, collaboration, creativity, communication, & adaptability.
The gap between education & workforce readiness is wide. How can our Xperiential platform better connect learning to community-based jobs & career pathways?
Sustainable funding is built on relationships and trust. The best funders join you on the journey, not just fund an outcome.
“SXSW EDU is the place to go to recharge your creative batteries. It was so energizing to be in the company of so many devoted and inspiring educators. Can’t wait for next year!” Tony stated.
Tony DeRose and Elyse Klaidman at SXSW EDU social events - with Alex Campbell - Teacher at Elizabethton High School (left image), with Josh Reppun - What Schools Could Be (middle image) and at the Data Happy Hour event (right image).
Some of the most valuable moments, for Klaidman and DeRose, were the conversations in between sessions, with new allies in education, and colleagues and collaborators close to their hearts - where ideas sparked, partnerships formed, and new projects began to take shape. The team at Xperiential are energized and inspired for 2025, ready to work towards a better future for students and educators in these uncertain times.
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