Faris Siddiqui

Student

I am Business Grad from Seneca College, and have completed the Fire Pre-Service Program at Durham College. I work as an Industrial Rescue Technician providing confined space and high angle rescue across Ontario.

I am passionate about learning new skills. I am passionate about helping people.

Fire safety, Ontario Search & Rescue, Skilled Trades Electrical Apprentice

I applied for the license to organize TEDxOshawa in 2023. It has been an exciting journey. Our first event was held on Jun 8, 2024 and our second event is on May 3, 2025. I have learned so much from this experience. I have learned about leadership and managing a team. I have learned about timelines and the importance of staying on track. I have learned the importance of being involved in the community and participating in community events. I have learned to network and step out of my comfort zone in literally thousands of ways in order to get sponsor support, as well as look for speakers. I have learned how to evaluate a venue and negotiate. I have learned about event planning and management. I have learned about speaker training. I have learned to go on stage and be an MC! I have learned so much about how other TEDx stages are managed. It has been a very exciting 3 years of partnering with TED. I am excited about continuing to grow TEDxOshawa. To this end, I will be attending the qualifying event in Atlanta in Nov 2025. I am looking forward to meeting other TEDx organizers, learning from them and exchanging ideas. My Co-organizer and I are planning to attend as many TEDx events as we can get to this year and plan to host a meetup for Ontario based organizers in the fall this year. When I started this journey, I thought I was contributing towards my community by elevating Oshawa and contributing towards making my town a "happening place," I had no idea how much TEDxOshawa would do for me. I have grown in ways I could not have anticipated. I am excited about continuing to help shine a light on the talent in my community.

Cooking!