To My Fellow Twenty-Somethings:

 

Oftentimes, the millennial generation --

The generation of which we are at the tail-end --

Gets a bad rep.

 

We are perceived by many to be

The lazy, entitled generation,

The generation plagued

By an inability to articulately express ourselves.

We are rotting our own minds

Through excessive use of technology

Into which we were born and which we did not invent.

 

I’ve spent a lot of time

Pondering how these perceptions manifest themselves;

Of course, there are bad apples in every group of people --

But just as with everyone else,

There is so much more to us

Than these misguided generalizations

And snap judgments.

 

Millenials are incredibly resourceful.

We are more highly educated,

More globally interconnected,

And more accepting of diversity than any generation before us.

We are less likely to accept things “the way they are”

Simply because that’s “how they’ve always been” --

Because we know our world is capable of better things.

 

I assure you:

I am not making this statement to imply

That we millennials are superior to the generations that precede us.

After all,

Where would we be

Without those who paved the way?

 

I am saying this because I genuinely believe

That if we each live up to our full potential --

And here comes the cliché, but it’s true --

The future is in good hands.

 

We are present and future

Diplomats,

Lawmakers,

Advocates, and

Engineers.

 

We are environmentalists,

Musicians,

Nurses,

Educators,

And leaders of all kinds.

 

And we deserve to take up space in this world.

We deserve for someone to see

In each of us

The capacity to be outstanding.

We are worthy

Of an investment by others in our futures;

That is truly something to celebrate.

 

So to close, fellow twenty-somethings,

I leave you with this.

One central value

Must remain at the core of each of our lives:

We must dedicate ourselves

To bettering the world around us.

 

We are all united in that we are accomplished scholars,

Loving sons and daughters,

And dedicated community members;

We are also capable

Of transcending the stereotypes

Attributed to our age group.

 

So regardless of where life takes you,

Don’t think you can’t make a change.

It may not be easy.

There will inevitably be downfalls,

And the results you want may not be immediate --

But if you see something wrong in the world,

It is better to try to fix it and fail

Than to simply let it perpetuate itself.

 

Don’t believe for a second that your voice doesn’t matter.

 

Many people will tell you that it doesn’t, but it does, and it will.

 

In the words of anthropologist Margaret Mead,

“Never doubt

That a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens

Can change the world;

Indeed,

It’s the only thing that ever has.”