Theme: HOPE Deconstructed

Every idea begins with hope. Our complex relationship with hope drives every moment of inspiration, fantasy, cowardice, and bravery. We dismiss hope as the platform of the lazy, yet cross our fingers and take a leap of faith. Weaving itself into every aspect of our lives, hope has the ability to hold us close, cover our eyes, or push us out the door – for better or worse.

What gives us hope? What do we achieve or lose through hope? Join us at TEDxStJohns 2018 as we explore the incredible power of authentic hope — the kind that drives resilience, innovation, and beauty for all humankind.

BMW St. John's
120 Kenmount Rd
St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, A1B 3R2
Canada

Adam Keating

Co-founder and CEO of CoLab Software

Adam is the co-founder and CEO of CoLab Software, recent graduate of Memorial University’s Engineering program, and member of Memorial’s Hyperloop team. Throughout his degree, Adam has had to overcome the trials of finding work, where initially he believed the most important thing for his career were the marks he got on exams. After a change of mindset, and starting his own company, Adam has helped over 50 people find work in the past year – some of which now work at Tesla, Apple, and Neuralink.

Hasan Hai

Community builder, problem solver, sales professional, and Merb’y

Community builder, problem solver, sales professional, and Merb’y, Hasan Hai was named “Most Interesting Local Person” by The Overcast in 2017, likely due to his community contributions over the past four years. Hasan has taken on small initiatives from donating his time handing out food to the homeless and hungry, to larger-scale fundraisers to support Fort Mac evacuees, to eventually moving to NL and doing a number of various projects.

Kimberly Churchill

Advocate, Mother, Teacher, Baker

Kimberly is an advocate, mother, teacher, and baker. Kimberly is a parent of a child facing challenges of accessibility -- a very active one at that! – which drives her advocacy work on behalf of the hearing impaired. While overcoming the challenges of being a mother, Kimberly also teaches sign language, makes celebration cakes for charity, and somehow finds time to dedicate to this year’s TEDxStJohns!

Kimberly Orren

Founder, Fishing for Success

Kimberly is a former high school science teacher with a passion for fishing. Deciding to change careers, she went back to graduate school to study Fisheries & Aquatic Sciences. Kimberly has since become an NL hunting & fishing guide, boat captain, and is working towards earning a commercial fishing license. She was recently recognized by YWCA St John’s as a 2018 Women of Distinction in Mentorship & Education for her work with the Girls Who Fish program. Kimberly is co-founder and volunteer project manager for Fishing for Success in Petty Harbour, NL

Malcolm Hollett

High School Student

Malcolm is a High School student who suffered a spinal cord injury skiing three years ago. Malcolm was told he would never walk again. Facing this challenge, Malcolm began problem-solving and developing the tools he needed to walk – and today, against all odds, Malcolm is walking and has even shared his story at the United Nations in New York.

Samantha Phelan

Digital Media Architect

Samantha is a Digital Media Architect who started her own consultancy last year working with Professional Sports teams (NFL, NHL, NBA, MLB, EPL, AHL) and Influencers across North America and Europe. As a side effect of spending a majority of her professional time on social media, Samantha realized the importance of being a conscious consumer online and focuses her work towards working with brands and content creators that are real, honest, and uplifting.