We’re Kind of Awesome.
Our Associates
Andrei Dumascu
Andrei is a 3rd year Politcal Science/Public Policy student at UTSC. He is passionate about grassroots development initiatives in metropolitan areas like Toronto, social equity, and above all: Disney! He is really optimistic about putting his skills to good use to make this year’s TEDxUTSC conference a great success!
Denice Raagas
Aspiring journalist, loves to travel and explore the world, food enthusiast and dog lover (emphasis on the dog lover). She is also pretty adventurous. She is always curious and loves learning about new things. She believes that perspective is key to understanding the world around us.
Darcy Balaban
Darcy enjoys being physically active, reading, walking his dog and last but certainly not least sports! Darcy loves sports, whether it’s playing sports with his friends, or just watching hockey on TV, he just can’t get enough! Oh and of course studying… lots of studying.
Mariam Abdoulrezzak
When not fighting Jedi with her favorite red lightsaber, Mariam is found petting kittens, jamming out to some tunes, or watching reruns of all her favourite TV-shows for the millionth time.
Jad Murtada
Jad is an enthusiastic cyclist who happens to spend more time fixing bikes than riding them due to excessive road failures (aka he keeps crashing into stuff). His dream is to live along the coast of Belize with his pet dolphin. Make sure to say hi if you see him on campus and ask about his next adventure.
Celine Boudreau
Celine is a culture junky who loves to experience new and old forms of art, music, film and literature. A perfect day in Celine’s world would consist of chilling in bed, eating sushi and watching Netflix with her tabby cat.
Ikenna Anudu
Practice discipline in your dressing and it will reflect in all other aspects of your life – Ikenna Anudu
Christie Zhu
Christie is a foodie, a day dreamer, an instagrammer, and a sister you’ve never had. She enjoys living in the moment, and she also believes that there’s nothing a bubble tea can’t fix.
Dusi Rasiah
Dusi is driven by creativity and is a graphic design enthusiast. He loves connecting with people and sharing experiences. “A narrow mind, is a weak mind” – said someone famous; which Dusi also says from time to time.
Brian Cheung
Brian just wishes we could all get along like we used to in middle school… He wishes he could bake a cake filled with rainbows and smiles and everyone would eat it and be happy.
Meraya Lamando
Meraya is 5 foot-tall reservoir of awesomeness who loves music and has a feet full of really bad puns. She hopes to make a positive impact on other peoples lives, and plans on travelling all over the world in the near future.
Isla Haynes
Book enthusiast, choco-holic, and terrible pun maker. As a third year psychology specialist, Isla is always up to having intellectual conversations with new people.
Nishita Agrawal
Eclectic is one word to describe Nishita in a nutshell. She enjoys learning anything and everything and goes by the motto that ‘no knowledge is bad’. She doesn’t wait for life to knock on her door, instead ceases every opportunity that comes in her way.
Carlo Halnin
Carlo is an open-minded adventure-seeker that welcomes anything new. Whether it be exploring a new area, meeting someone new, eating new food, etc he welcomes these experiences with open arms. Hobbies include hiking, rock-climbing, kayaking, and snowboarding with hopes to pick up more along the way in the coming years.
Pedram Farahbakhsh
Pedram is the type of person who will tell you the truth you need to hear but don’t want to. When he is not working on his blog or reading up on current events, he can be found playing football or playing games. He loves finding new music in new genres, watches South Park religiously, and will move his ears when he is surprised.
Zabikhulla Yari
According to my friends, I go 0 – 100 real quick when I smell the delicious odour of tacos. Tacos are life. While not being a taco fanatic, I sacrifice my GPA by watching countless documentaries and TED talks on Youtube. Other than that, I study Political Science, Public Law & Media Studies! I’m ecstatic for being part of the TEDxUTSC team this year and contributing to one of the most anticipating events at UTSC!
Miguel Diaz
Miguel fancies himself a modern day adventurer, and as such is always up for pretty much anything, at least once. Things that Miguel has found a notable passion for in his explorations would be soccer, reading, and running. Miguel also has the right (or wrong?) amount of curiosity, stubbornness and determination to make for a tireless argumentative partner, please do not get him started
Jasmeet Singh
Jasmeet is a nomad. Having traveled half the world in the first two decades of his life, he takes solace in movement. May it be commuting hours to meet up with friends or constantly fiddling with things during lectures, he is always on the move. A food enthusiast as well, he is fond of Tibetan, Chinese and Indian food. If a food is too bland, he will go out of his way to find ingredients to spice it up.
Azeem Shaikh
Azeem Shaikh is the second of four children which means he has firsthand experience of not only being a follower but a leader too. He is a calculating and analytical person, taking everything apart in his head and putting it back together. He has changed 8 schools and lived in 6 cities, a global citizen if you must. He adapts to new situations almost instantly. He is an avid reader with a vivid imagination. He believes that standing out is more important than fitting in.
Kanisk Chakraborty
As a computer science student, Kanisk can usually be found around the BV area, tinkering with code and computer’s. When not completely swamped by coursework/work, he likes to take the time to investigate the nooks and crannies of this perplexing world, as nineteen years of trial and error have, so far, it seems, been insufficient. Learn a fact, and ten more pop-up. Thus, his goal, is to achieve a state of “constant motion” i.e. not stopping when one feels content with what “is”, but to always have the urge to look beyond the norm.
Jennifer Bhuiyan
Jennifer has an affinity for beauty; when asked what she is most proud of, she will likely say her lipstick collection. Her desire for chocolate is almost unnatural although it explains her oh so sweet demeanor. Her leisure is spent on reading heart wrenching novels, visiting diverse restaurants, watching makeup gurus on YouTube and TED talks. You’ll need your vaccination because her smile is contagious and her laugh can be heard from miles away. Keep an ear out for her.
Mackenzie Lim-Hing
Mackenzie is a confident and outgoing individual who works excellently with others as well as independently. Currently Majoring in English and Minoring in psychology and sociology, his specialty is literary criticism, believing that there is always deeper analysis in what we read and how we interpret meaning. When he’s not over analyzing life and literature he’s our own personal human disco as he enjoys beatboxing and making sounds with his voice.