Ellie is a 2020 graduate of Horton High School in Wolfville, Nova Scotia. From a young age, she developed a deep love for the natural world, spending much of her formative years paddling, hiking, camping and sailing along the East Coast. 

After graduation she intentionally took an unconventional approach to education, hoping to gain as much hands-on and real-life experience as possible. One of the first experiences she had after leaving home was on Vancouver Island, British Colombia, where she became involved with a group of activists working to protect an area known as the Fairy Creek Watershed. Elie says, “this experience deeply affected me, and is very much a foundation for my interest in pursuing education in the field of environmental health and social justice”. 

Following her time in B.C., she spent many months travelling by horse through Honduras with a group of artists and activists looking to connect with local communities through shared values of art, peace and environmentalism. Ellie enjoyed this experience because it combined her passions of community engagement, cultural exchange, low environmental impact and epic outdoor adventure.  

Ellie has been active in a wide range of volunteer programs including community kitchens, emergency shelters and supportive housing. She has also trained as a Birth Doula through Pacific Rim College and participated in the Outward Bound Training Academy for outdoor professionals. Recently  she has been working with the Nova Scotia Sea School where she inspires youth to develop sailing skills, introduces them to the power of positive communities, and helps young women develop self-confidence in outdoor skills. 

Ellie is excited to be pursuing a degree in Community Development at Acadia University. She hopes to engage with environmental health research and advocacy to empower communities across Canada and globally, particularly in high-impact zones and remote areas.