Khadija Shamisa

Artist, Entrepreneur, Event planner, Explorer, Idea generator, Life mentor, Muslim, Student

Born in Brampton, Ontario, and raised in Windsor, Ontario. Graduated from Sandwich Secondary School in 2014, and on my way to graduating from University of Windsor in 2018. In the couple years that I have attended university, I have served my community as a Marketing Director for AlMaghrib Institute, the Muslim Student Association's Islam Awareness Week Assistant 2015, and Islam Awareness Week Director in 2016. I have moderate experience as an emcee (EEMAN Awards Dinner and the WIC Appreciation Dinner are just two examples). Additionally, and equally as important, I started by own business on the side, dedicated to giving unique, tattoo-esque henna designs for events and charity alike. Curating a TEDx conference at my university is my next pursuit!

Art in all of its forms: (Visual Art, Design, Fashion, Dance), Law and politics, Business and new ideas, and learning in general!

It started with a Tweet - "Life goal: Conduct a TED talk." I had no intentions of actually curating a TED event when I tweeted this. I had just completed a lazy, yet inspiring, TED talk binge session and felt like I could do anything in the moment. My friend, who attends Wayne State University right across the border from me, replied to the tweet telling me that I should join the WSU TEDx club that actually organizes the event. I asked her for more information out of curiosity, still not intending to do anything about it. With my previous event-planning experience, a little time and consultation, I found myself before my laptop sending a license application to TED. And now I'm here!

Writing and drawing. My writing is something that I keep close to me, only to be shared with select people for now. As for my drawing, it gets quite realistic - but is not something I broadcast often.