Theme: Perseverance

Join us in celebrating Cape Breton University’s 50th Anniversary with a special TEDx event focused on the theme “Perseverance.” In the spirit of TED’s mission to spread ideas worth sharing, TEDx Cape Breton University showcases the incredible stories of perseverance, resilience, triumphs and ideas that pave the way forward for the next 50 years and beyond.

Broadmore Playhouse
Cape Breton University
1250 Grand Lake Road
Sydney, Nova Scotia, B1M 1A2
Canada

Amy McNeil

Content Strategist • Marketing ( University Relations )

From childhood, Amy MacNeil embraced the concept of extraterrestrial life through “Star Trek: The Next Generation.” This belief persisted as she pursued formal education, graduating in 2007 with a BA in Psychology (Honours) and spending time across Canada, the United States and Australia before finally settling at CBU in 2020. Significant moments, like Paul Hellyer’s 2005 revelation and the 2017 New York Times UFO coverage, deeply influenced her. Disappointed by public dismissal of UFO reports and insufficient investigation, Amy advocates for serious inquiry, bolstered by evidence from diverse sources. She underscores the importance of persistent inquiry, citing recent findings from the American AARO that ignored high-profile public UFO cases. In her presentation, Amy aims to spark curiosity by discussing 50 years of disclosure information in the US and Canada, urging the audience to demand answers from elected officials.

Annie Battiste

Assistant Professor • L’Nu, Political & Social Studies

Annie Battiste, a proud Mi’kmaw woman from Potlotek First Nation, is dedicated to social justice and reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities. With a master’s degree in Educational Foundations from the University of Saskatchewan, she excels in public speaking, cultural competency, and program development. As an Assistant Professor in L’nu Studies at Cape Breton University, she is passionate about raising awareness of historical and social issues affecting Indigenous peoples. Her work navigates deep reflection and advocacy for empowerment and inclusivity. Through an antiracist, anticolonial Indigenous lens, she supports sectors and institutions in Indigenization, reconciliation, and Treaty education.

Christina Lamey

President - Cape Breton Blizzard Female Hockey Association

Christina Lamey is the President and founder of the Cape Breton Blizzard Female Hockey Association. Her 24-team-member association is one of the fastest-growing and most diverse hockey associations in Canada. Blizzard Hockey and the CBU Capers women’s hockey team won Kraft Hockeyville and they will soon open the first arena in Canada designated as a home ice for girls’ and women’s hockey. She is a past-president of the Nova Scotia Women’s Hockey league, the largest women’s league in Atlantic Canada. Christina has been building girls’ and women’s sport for over 20 years and is not at all surprised that women’s sports are now selling out arenas around the world.

Paige Cox

CBU Student

Paige Cox is currently enrolled in the Master of Education program at Cape Breton University, which is her third degree from the University. She is the recipient of the 2023 Cape Breton Vital Excellence Award. Paige’s commitment to her studies and community has earned her the opportunity to represent her program at conferences in Charlottetown in August 2023, Ottawa and Halifax in early 2024, which were partly and fully funded by organizing institutions. Despite facing multiple cognitive disabilities and living with mental illness, Paige, at 27 years old, is navigating her education with great determination. She uses her voice to promote inclusivity and accessibility in all aspects of life, and her accomplishments extend beyond academia. Paige is a board member of the Cape Breton University Alumni Association Board of Directors, Dance Nova Scotia Board of Directors and Young Canadian Roundtable on Health.

Wesley Colford

Artistic & Executive Director of the Highland Arts Theatre

Wesley J. Colford is a Dora and Merritt Nominated playwright and theatre artist from Cape Breton who currently resides in Sydney, NS where they operate as the inaugural Artistic & Executive Director of the Highland Arts Theatre (HAT). They studied theatre performance at Sheridan and George Brown College and spent eight years working in Toronto’s independent theatre scene, working as a writer, director, actor and producer for multiple companies. Under their leadership, the Highland Arts Theatre has produced more than 100 mainstage theatrical productions in the past ten years and has been nominated for Dora, Merritt, Excellence in Business, and Nova Scotia Music Industry Awards. They are a recipient of the 2016 Jack Yazer Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award, and The Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Medal. They were recently honoured as one of the Globe & Mail’s “Canadian Arts Heroes of 2020” for their work developing the HAT’s bold new funding model, Radical Access.