Remember Generation Y? If you were born in the late 80’s-early 90’s, you may vaguely recall being deemed as Generation Y, but it has since been taken over by the Millennials. When Generation Y was absorbed by Millennials (because millennials ruin everything), I cringed- both at the non-poetic word, but who it associated me with. See, I work at a high school, which technically part of the same Olympic-hating generation 13 years my junior. I see them obsessing over social media, feeling obligated to answer texts, tweets, and snaps immediately, despite the danger. I see them getting their news from Facebook. I see them having panic attacks on a near-daily basis.

But I also see in them a greater drive to change the world than I have ever seen from anyone. I see their unmarked empathy towards their fellow human beings, offering compassion and acceptance. They don’t mind learning 9,584 terms for people if that is how they wish to identify. They so strongly feel the plight of everyone but also everything on the planet. They fiercely care for the planet. We recently surveyed our students when redesigning the school, and an overwhelming majority voted to make the campus eco-friendly and sustainable.

I am not sure I agree with putting people my age into the “millennial”. I was old enough to properly understand, and therefore be affected by major events like technology booms, 9/11, and electing the first African-American president. However, if being a millennial means being associated with these amazing young people- ones that so passionately care with a strong sense of right and wrong, then I am proud to be a millennial.