In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized (subject to certain rules and regulations).

Quest University Canada
3200 University Blvd
Multi Purpose Room (MPR)
Squamish, British Columbia, V8B 0N8
Canada

: gyauustees

Indigenous Ceremonial Leader + Sustainable Energy Consultant

: gyauustees is a father of 9 and ceremonial leader of the tribal people of the Pacific Northwest, currently residing with his wife on unceded land of the Skomish and nuu-cha-nulth tribal people. His life has been an incredible journey of acceptance and forgiveness for what he can only describe as the aftermath of attempted genocide of his people. Through his connection to the unity, peace and dignity path he has been able to overcome life's immense challenges and return to the ancient traditions of Mother Earth. He lives a ceremonial life as hereditary pipe carrier, traditional song keeper, peyote road man, purification lodge keeper, Sun dancer, ayahuasca facilitator, copper carrier, master carver and has been entrusted with the great responsibility of being the carrier of the Unity, Peace and Dignity walking staff. His way of life focuses on supporting solution-based technologies to make our environment a cleaner more sustainable place to live for future generations.

Chloe Lee Rowlands

Biology Student + Illustrator + Science Communicator

"My name is Chloe Lee Rowlands and I am from Oakland, California. I am in my third year at Quest, where I am studying evolutionary biology with a focus on sexual selection. I am passionate about science communication, the use of design to foster engagement, and why birds have head feathers or spiders eat their mates. My talk looks at the nature of sex across a variety of species to question what we consider natural sexual behavior in humans, with particular focus given to the rhetoric used in cases of sexual misconduct."

Kate Luebkeman

Anthropology Student + Performer + Community Organiser

Kate Luebkeman is a fourth-year student at Quest studying the experiences of women who perform stand-up comedy. Outside of advocacy work and school, she loves to sing loudly in the shower, watch Late Night With Seth Myers and Brooklyn Nine Nine, dance to Lizzo and Ariana Grande, film Youtube videos that she will never post, and obsessively check her email. She is also addicted to changing her room as an external manifestation of her ever-buzzing brain, so she completes a dorm renovation once every two months. She was inspired to speak at TEDx about ADHD after receiving a late-in-life diagnosis this past summer that changed her life. She believes that if we talked about ADHD in a more nuanced and informed way, she could have received the help she needed years earlier. Kate hopes this talk can address common stigmas and prejudices, and raise awareness for the people with ADHD that are often left on the margins, struggling in silence to stay afloat.

Mathias Horne

Artist

"Drawing is a terrifying experience, trust me I'm trying to do it for a living! My name is Mathias Horne and I am a Canadian artist from Squamish British Columbia. I have always had a fascination with how art is taught and how children’s approach to creating is different depending on their age. I have worked in a number of art education programs and, through personal stories and questions, I hope to bring a new perspective to your drawing abilities and artistic identity."

Phindile Tshabalala

Neuroscience Student + Mental Health Activist

Phindile Tshabalala is an aspiring aid worker and self-proclaimed champagne connoisseur from Johannesburg, South Africa. Her hobbies include engaging uninterested parties in conversations about the culture of extreme sports, emphasizing the difference between champagne and sparkling wine, and actively reminding herself that she is more than her diagnosis. Her love for her nation — whose growth and development has been sparked amidst the chaos following the abolishment of apartheid — has inspired her to speak at this year’s TEDxQuestu. As one in six mental health patients in South Africa, Phindile is passionate about creating positive social awareness around the impact of stigmatization around mental health disorders in low- and middle-income countries.

Ross Denny-Jiles

Law Student

Ross graduated from Quest in December of 2018. Seemingly planning to spend his 20s in various forms of higher education, he plans on beginning law school in the fall of 2019. At Quest, Ross studied Canadian law and politics focusing on how different inequalities manifest in our Canadian institutions. Outside of academia, Ross is an avid board game enthusiast and hiker. Having grown up on the west coast, he is always keen to be outside. At TEDxQuestu, Ross hopes to inform his audience about the problems plaguing the Canadian Prison system and begin a conversation about how we as a society can move away from our old conceptions of justice and in pursuit of a new way forward.

Tully Henke

Environmental Science Student + Outdoor Recreationalist

Tully Henke is in his third year at Quest studying recreation ecology and land management. He is a canoer turned backpacker turned rock climber (but still does all three) who loves the outdoors. When not outside, he tends to get distracted from his work by anything from roaming Google Earth looking at mountains to watching Youtube videos about musical marble machines. He appreciates nostalgia and thinking about what makes a place feel like home. While doing field research that attempts to delve into what's at play in the use of wilderness land, Tully has been confronted with a cascade of questions. In his talk, he hopes to start sharing answers to some of these, but also raise additional questions that you didn't know you should have been asking.