Dear Millennials,

As a fellow Millennial, I can fairly say it is hard to be us. There are all these stereotypes being made about us such as we are "entitled," we are "obsessed" with technology, or that we are all shallow narcissists, when in reality we seem entitled because we live in a world where being "heard" is extremely important, we are not obsessed with technology but grew up with it, and shallowness is mistaken for a striving to belong. We live in a world of shallowness and stereotypes.

And it's hard, I know.

We constantly face ridicule, in a world more technologically advanced than ever with smartphones and tablets that constantly tell us how fat, weak, and unintelligent we are with on single swipe. In a world thats darkening so quickly, how are we, the ridiculed, able to change anything?

Here's what I believe:

I believe we are called to do something greater, to be something greater, and to create something greater. I'm anticipating the day when we become parents and use the knowledge of what life was like before the media, before the racial protests, and before the shootings to affect the next generation. I cannot wait to teach my kids what a see-saw is or what it's like to play outside with your neighbors or the warm feeling you get when you experience snow for the first time. This is the generation of nostalgia, the generation of togetherness despite the separation, and the generation of change. I'm ready to be a part of a generation that fights the status quo and stereotypes of this world, that stops looking down at an iPad and reaches up for the stars. Because despite all the hatred, segregation, and judgment in the world, you are given the chance, as a Millennial, to create a world of love, togetherness, and the freedom to passionately accomplish anything you put your mind to.

So forget the stereotypes and forget the media, because God has given you specifically the opportunity, no, the obligation to make a true difference in this world.

While the world around you darkens, be the one match that sparks the light of a new generation.

Don't let us down.

Sincerely,

A Millennial

"Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world." - Harriet Tubman