Stuck at a Cultural Crossroad | Sophie Kuah | TEDxYouth@GranvilleIsland

Although being only 14-years-old, Sophie Kuah has always found herself “stuck at a cultural crossroad,” in other words, the Asian American Identity Crisis. She exposes how she has struggled to embrace her Asian and Canadian identities, and how her heritage allowed her to understand where she belongs. By telling her story, she wants to tell other immigrants that there is power in celebrating themselves and their culture. Sophie wants to encourage everyone to be proud of their heritage and further find solidarity amongst their communities. Sophie hopes to reach out to everyone, regardless of who they are or where they come from. She hopes to leave the audience thinking, whether that be reflecting on their own family history, trying to look through others’ perspectives, or maybe even reanalyzing a personal bias. Sophie Kuah is a first-generation Chinese-Canadian born in Vancouver, BC. She is currently a grade 8 student at York House School where she enjoys taking part in her school basketball team, playing the saxophone in band, discussing social studies, and writing in English. Sophie is inspired daily by her family, especially by her older sister and her grandmother, and she is driven by what she wants the future to look like—what she can do to improve herself and the world around her? In her spare time, Sophie also runs a food blog where she loves taking photographs, telling stories, and discovering connections between food and culture. 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