Annie Hinton

Activist, Environmentalist, Explorer, Foodie, Idea generator, Student

I am studying International Development Studies and Sustainability at Dalhousie University. I work for the leadership department of the Dalhousie Student Union. Originally from Strathroy, Ontario I moved out to Halifax three years ago to begin university and have fallen in love with the city, people and incredible opportunities out here.

I am passionate about being a global citizen and about realizing development is not only abroad but in my own communities too.

Even the smallest action can have an effect on the lives of those around you. An angry door slam or a smile on the street can completely change someone else's day. I think we need to be reminded that we are surrounded by people and each of them has something happening in their lives that the ordinary person knows nothing about.

After being incredibly homesick during my first year of university I was determined to return for my second year in Halifax despite my struggles in being away from home. In September 2012 I decided that I was going to make a change, and this is when everything began to shift. I got involved with student leadership initiatives and found myself surrounded by incredible people who believed in me and believed that I was an important piece of the puzzle. This is how I ended up organizing TEDxNovaScotiaEd in March 2013 and now I have taken on the task of organizing TEDxNovaScotia 2014; Chances worth taking: Innovation in a time of indifference. Being involved in the organization of such an incredible event helped me to find a big part of myself that I had somehow forgotten about.