How to own the stereotypes others give you | Jerry Zheng | TEDxSurrey
In this talk, Jerry Zheng reflects on a painful moment at a national piano competition when he was dismissed as “just another mandarin orange,” a comment that made him question whether his passion was seen as talent or stereotype. Through this experience, he explores how seemingly positive stereotypes can become limiting when they erase individuality. Drawing on his mother’s immigrant story and her unwavering support, Jerry reframes parental involvement and cultural expectations as acts of love rather than pressure. He argues that the challenge isn’t rejecting stereotypes, but reclaiming them with pride. By using music to build community and joy, he shows how embracing identity can turn labels into sources of strength.A recent graduate of Fraser Heights Secondary in Surrey, Jerry proudly calls himself a “mandarin orange.” Once pressured to give up piano because of stereotypes, he learned that strength doesn’t come from rejecting labels, but from redefining and embracing them for personal significance. Since reconciling with these stereotypes, he has performed with the Coquitlam Youth Orchestra and Ambleside Orchestra, competed in international piano competitions, and received the RCM National Gold Medal for Canada’s best Associate Diploma performance. Jerry believes true self-worth comes from community. He founded the Grace Notes Initiative, a student music society connecting volunteer performers with senior care homes and wellness societies. Beyond music, he brings the same passion to high school debate and contest mathematics—building inclusive, confident club communities and coaching students to national-level success.
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 Receive SMS online on sms24.me
TubeReader video aggregator is a website that collects and organizes online videos from the YouTube source. Video aggregation is done for different purposes, and TubeReader take different approaches to achieve their purpose.
Our try to collect videos of high quality or interest for visitors to view; the collection may be made by editors or may be based on community votes.
Another method is to base the collection on those videos most viewed, either at the aggregator site or at various popular video hosting sites.
TubeReader site exists to allow users to collect their own sets of videos, for personal use as well as for browsing and viewing by others; TubeReader can develop online communities around video sharing.
Our site allow users to create a personalized video playlist, for personal use as well as for browsing and viewing by others.
@YouTubeReaderBot allows you to subscribe to Youtube channels.
By using @YouTubeReaderBot Bot you agree with YouTube Terms of Service.
Use the @YouTubeReaderBot telegram bot to be the first to be notified when new videos are released on your favorite channels.
Look for new videos or channels and share them with your friends.
You can start using our bot from this video, subscribe now to How to own the stereotypes others give you | Jerry Zheng | TEDxSurrey
What is YouTube?
YouTube is a free video sharing website that makes it easy to watch online videos. You can even create and upload your own videos to share with others. Originally created in 2005, YouTube is now one of the most popular sites on the Web, with visitors watching around 6 billion hours of video every month.
