Engineer // Writer // Leader
My name is Derrick Farris and I am an engineer, writer, and leader. One phrase that might best describe me is a "creator of things". I like creating things from something others may see as nothing. I also really enjoy discovering how things work and fixing them. I often end up solving problems in ways that are considered unorthodox or haven't been proven, but I believe sometimes that's what's necessary; not every problem has an easy solution, but I believe no problem is unsolvable.
Although I am far from having it all figured out, my passion is taking initiative and discovering solutions — even in the face of uncertainty. Above all, I enjoy empowering and teaching others to do the things I am adept at. What's most important to me is growing others not only in their skills, but also as people. At the end of the day, I believe strongly that people are what's most important.
A few years ago, I traveled outside of the country for the first time ever during a 6-month internship abroad with Tata Consultancy Services.
I landed in Hyderabad, India at 2 in the morning after a 22-hour journey. At that moment, my life changed forever. I realized that there is much more to life than what we experience in our immediate surroundings: there's a whole world out there that you can't know from the comfort of your home.
During my journey, I met some amazing people and learned a lot about the world and even more about myself. For that reason, I count this experience as one of the most important of my entire life...
... Which is why I've decided to start something I call 'Project World Citizen'.
Project World Citizen will be dedicated to connecting the world, not only digitally, but also physically. Too many people in the world do not know the importance of travel in understanding both the world and the people around us.
The project will aim to promote and facilitate world travel and inspire others to be more involved in the global community, as well as provide opportunities to do so, irrespective of finances.
Through this project, I hope to help others have life-changing experiences similar to the one I had and create a community around making that happen.