When Assumptions Become Identity | Sofia Hrawi | TEDxJesus&Mary School Youth

Sofia Hrawi, a speaker at a TEDx event organized by a local community, reflects on growing up between Lebanese and Russian cultures. Her talk looks at how people are often labeled and judged through assumptions before anyone takes the time to know them. She argues that no single label can capture a person's complexity and that real understanding requires looking deeper than first impressions.

• Personal experience of growing up between Lebanese and Russian cultures
• How assumptions and expectations shape the way people are seen
• Why no single label can capture a person's complexity
• Looking beyond first impressions to reach genuine understanding

How often do we decide who someone is before giving ourselves the chance to truly know them? Drawing from her experiences growing up between Lebanese and Russian cultures, Sofia explores the impact of assumptions and the expectations people place on others. Her talk challenges us to look beyond first impressions and preconceived ideas, reminding us that no single label can capture the complexity of a person and that genuine understanding begins when we take the time to look deeper. This talk is about the way we label people before we truly know them. My name is Sofia, and growing up between Lebanese and Russian cultures has made me experience this very personally. Through my own experiences, I reflect on what it feels like to constantly be seen through assumptions that never fully fit. The talk is a reminder that people are far more complex than the labels we give them, and that real understanding takes time. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx