People constantly make snap judgments about others with just one look.

Whether these judgments are unintentional or not, they can play a huge role in how people interact with the world, students were told Sept. 9 in Free to Be Me at TCC.

Led by Shani Moore, TCC’s institutional diversity and inclusion director, the  seminar was designed to raise self-awareness and promote identity dropping — the ability to look past one’s outside appearance, eliminate assumptions and create a comfortable medium between how people are perceived and how they perceive others.

“You have no idea when looking at someone what their hidden dots are,” Moore said.

The ultimate vision is to create an environment free of stereotypes and unconscious biases and with respect for one another’s individualism, Moore said.

SE academic advisor Rhonda Hudson said some primary dimensions divide people.

“Being a black woman is something I can’t ever drop at the door,” she said. 

To be successful within themselves, people must embrace the things they cannot change and use discretion with the things they can, Hudson said.

Student Salam Akkard said she often worries about what people think of her.

“As a foreigner in the United States, I am always thinking about how people perceive me from my language to my appearance,” she said. “When I look at people, I don’t see race or gender.”