Aaron Stark

Keynote Speaker, TED Presenter & Global Positivity Advocate

Aaron Stark

Keynote Speaker, TED Presenter & Global Positivity Advocate

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Biography

Aaron Stark was almost a school shooter. As a dark and destructive teen, Stark almost committed a terrible attack. Today he is a happy father of four, and wants to do all he can to help anyone on that path to find a way into the light again, and to see that they matter.

After watching the news coverage of the Parkland school shootings, Stark wrote an open letter “I was almost a school shooter.” This was sent to local news 9KUSA in Denver, and was the feature story on Next with Kyle Clark. This story gained national attention and over 17 million views in a very short time, which propelled me into a life of activism for mental wellness awareness. He have been featured on ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, MSNBC, and also wrote his own article in the Washington Post. This was followed by his viral TEDx talk “I Was Almost a School Shooter “ that currently has over 14 million views and is shown in schools, colleges, and universities, all the way up to the Dept. Of Education.

These days Aaron get in front of as many audiences as possible trying to spread his message of Giving Love to The Ones You Feel Deserve It The Least, Because They Need It The Most. He speaks to students, administrators, SRO’s, law enforcement, podcasts, one on one interviews, and any other group that is looking for a way to reach that person in the dark and remind them they matter in hopes of preventing future tragedies.

Recently he started presenting to the FBI and other law enforcement agencies in hopes of improving methods and techniques when dealing with those in the edge of darkness. Now he flies across the country speaking to help prevent the next potential HIM from happening.

Speaker Videos

I Was Almost A School Shooter | Aaron Stark | TEDxBoulder

Treated Like A Person

Stepping Out of the Cycle

The Only Way Out is Through

Gun Control v. Mental Health

Keep Going

Westminster High Speech

Mississippi School Nurses Convention

See Fewer Videos

Speech Topics

I Was Almost a School Shooter

The main message is always how to identify, talk to and deal with those people on the edge of or in the depths of depression or angry issues. The main presentation is very emotional but uplifting, with multiple tangible takeaways for students, teachers, law enforcement, or anyone who has people with these issues in their lives. The message can be distilled to "Give love to the ones you feel deserve it the least, they need it the most."

Testimonials

"I cannot say enough good things about Aaron. Not only was his keynote speech incredibly powerful and moving, but he made every effort after his presentation to mingle and speak with attendees and staff. He completely immersed himself into our event, much to the delight of everyone in attendance. He took the time to answer questions post-keynote, as well as gathered a crowd the next morning during his Q&A follow-up session. He was an absolute rockstar!"

- Executive Director, NABITA

"I had the opportunity to listen to Mr. Stark share his story to a room of Law Enforcement and Investigation professionals. He made himself vulnerable and shared experiences from his development that few people could survive, let alone expose to others. Mr. Stark was captivating; his message is a simple one: Be Kind. The simplicity is not meant to minimize his message, rather it is intended to highlight that we all have the power to be a positive influence on those around us. During Mr. Stark's presentation, the room of approximately 250 adults fell silent. He was engaging, emotional, and delivered a message that we all have the power to impact those around us. Finally, he reinforced how the smallest act of kindness can be life altering and meaningful to those who expect it the least."

- US Attorney’s Office and FBI in Philadelphia

"Aaron’s presentation was nothing like I had expected it to be. Listening to his story, I found myself asking how it’s possible for a student to get to where he was. It’s easy to think that with social services, welfare programs, and all of the resources we know are available to students, we’ve solved these issues. But the fact of the matter is that most, if not all, of these resources were available when he was in school, and they did him no good. In fact, some of them brought him more harm than good. Hearing Aaron’s story and perspective helped to shed light on how students experiencing poverty, abuse, or traumas of almost any kind may view their peers, adults, and the world. Aaron mentioned that one of the best things we can do for these students is to actually see them and treat them like people. It seems easy enough, but in the hustle and bustle of grading, lesson planning, and classroom management, it’s really easy to overlook the student who disengages all hour or be silently relieved when the student who usually stinks up the classroom is absent. Sometimes we educators need a hard reset to remind us that our students are humans, with very real struggles, concerns, and oftentimes traumas that we could be completely unaware of. If I can help a student realize that they aren’t alone, that they have value, and that they deserve love, they will have learned far more than if they can recite all 150 prepositions or properly cite a source using MLA."

- Farmington School Dist 265

"Aaron was a wonderful speaker for our teachers. His genuine lesson of resiliency and survival in the midst of a traumatic childhood struck a core with everyone. He has a true passion for helping others see the benefits of connecting, and for being there for others when they need it. His information was vital to learning how to protect our students from others and even protect our students from themselves when necessary."

- Farmington Junior High