Salvaging some semblance of a celebration in the middle of a pandemic, the class of 2020 is owning its moment. Amidst a tizzy of virtual graduations, porch photoshoots, drive-by parades, and star-studded televisions commencements, they are acknowledging their rite of passage. Not easily deterred, these new high school graduates, born in the immediate aftermath of the 911 crisis, are resilient.
They grew up in a rapidly changing world bombarded with technology, the TSA, lockdown drills, school shootings, domestic and foreign terrorism, climate change, global culture, social media, and their own, larger-than-life, personal online presences. This interconnectedness perhaps allows them empathy and a rare agility that we witness when they quickly change course to adapt to lockdowns, social distancing, and new methods of learning.
No class is more ready to face the challenges life will throw at them than this one. They are their own commencement speakers. Each has been a witness to his or her own changing reality that has included deferment, tossing of dreams, rethinking majors, and conserving funds.
The future is changed and so will be all their plans for it. This class of 2020 knows better than anyone else how to adapt.
Here’s to the Class of 2020!
