Areej Siddiqui is a 4th year Honours English and Cultural Studies student, feminist, writer, and activist. She is invested in anti-oppressive practice and believes in local action for global change. Her politics encourage her to ask: what can we do now to aid social equity in ten years? She is currently working on an undergraduate thesis on community-building and running the English and Cultural Studies Society. She has been involved with Occupy McMaster and the McMaster Mobilization Committee, which address student debt and alienation. She has also worked at The Missing Slate, an arts and culture magazine, and Papercuts, a literary magazine.

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)