Helms expanded on his theme of definition and identity by turning the lens inward — not just on how the world defines you, but on how quickly and carelessly you define others. The examples were deliberately playful and relatable, painting mini-portraits that every graduate could recognize from their own experience of misjudging someone. The humor in the escalating examples (teddy bear, party animal, then 'the mousy librarian who takes off her glasses to reveal she's a bloodthirsty alien from a distant galaxy') kept the moral from feeling preachy. But the underlying message was serious: snap judgments are a form of intellectual laziness that impoverishes your understanding of the world. This connected directly to the Rolling Stone episode he had addressed earlier. A magazine had labeled UVA based on incomplete and inaccurate information, with devastating consequences. The same pattern plays out in smaller ways every day when we reduce complex human beings to first impressions.