What’s the value of a liberal education? That was the topic of a TEDx conference held at Brown during Family Weekend in October. One of the speakers was Sonja Brookins Santelises ’89, who powerfully described the moment a professor first challenged her to use her writing skills not just to repeat others’ thoughts but to express her own voice. Now chief academic officer for the Baltimore City schools, she said her goal is to teach other students to do just that.