While at a restaurant, I heard a group of people who appeared to be Gen X’ers and Millennials ridiculing the work ethic of Generation Z. “The Z’s,” they said, were “entitled.” They didn’t want to work, didn’t want to conform to dress codes, liked their mostly unkempt hair all the shades of the rainbow, preferred to work their own hours and never would be leaders. Hmm?
I have heard this talk about other generations ad nauseam, always from the previous generations. Mine also is guilty as charged.
But later, I was intrigued. I did some quick Google research to make sure I was correct about the target of the group’s ire. Yes, Z’s are those born from 1997 to 2012.
Gen Z is not the first to be called entitled, useless, out of their minds or worse. The Silent Generation, born from 1928 to 1945, said my generation, the Boomers (1946 to 1964), were radical “potheads” and “druggies.” Every one of us!
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Boomers always saw Gen X (1965 to 1980) and Millennials (1981 to 1996) as “entitled.” We were wrong. Each generation has produced exceptional leaders, incredible inventors, risk-taking entrepreneurs and visionaries who have advanced our lives.
I have unfailing hopes for Gen Z, too. There are millions of brilliant, compassionate young leaders. I offer three young people — Jonathan Walker, Caitlin Holmes and Colten White — as my evidence on a Bay County level for saying Gen Z has been unfairly labeled. Each has been featured in a previous News Herald story.
I sincerely hope you took the time to read of their accomplishments.
This year’s Rutherford High School valedictorian was accepted into all 27 prestigious universities — including Harvard, MIT, Duke and Johns Hopkins — to which he applied with scholarships totaling about $4 million.
Original reporting: Rutherford student accepted into 27 colleges including Harvard, earns nearly $4M in scholarships
The Science Club standout, 18, has chosen to become a Duke Blue Devil and will start classes in the fall.
Jonathan said his love of academics and science began with his parents purchasing him a chemistry box set for Christmas.
He in on track for Duke’s engineering program but plans to create his own major. After college, Jonathan said he wants to become an entrepreneur specializing in assistive technology to help disabled people as well as disadvantaged communities.
“I just want people to have … a greater quality of life because I feel like if they’re able to focus more on just forming meaningful and joyful connections, instead of their own health, they can really explore what it means to contribute to life and just make everybody else’s life better,” Jonathan said.
After Hurricane Michael ripped through Bay County in 2018 and left about 22,000 residents homeless, Caitlin put in countless hours volunteering. The devastation wrought on her home county spurred the Panama City teen, 18, to build a food pantry from scrapped materials and fill it with nonperishable food and toiletries to help the homeless and food insecure. It is accessible 24 hours a day for anyone to take from it or donate.
Original reporting: Scout’s honor: Panama City Girl Scout makes standalone food pantry for homeless downtown
“I knew I wanted to do something in my community,” Caitlin said. “Especially after Hurricane Michael with all the damage and people were homeless and all of our shelters were closed down.”
But Caitlin isn’t thinking small. She has plans for additional pantries across Bay County.
Caitlin was honored for her humanitarian project with a Girl Scout Gold Award, the organization’s most prestigious. She received her award during a special ceremony of the Girl Scouts of Gateway Council in Tallahassee on April 24.
Caitlin is enrolled in the mechanical engineering program at Santa Fe State College in Gainesville and plans to transfer to the University of Florida after receiving her associate degree.
The Alabama native and Panama City Beach summer resident was diagnosed with stage 4 diffuse large B-cell lymphoma on Aug. 26, 2020. He was just 15 years old.
Original reporting: Teen beat stage 4 cancer. Now he’s launching PCB spearfishing event to raise research money
After six months of draining chemotherapy, Colten was announced as cancer-free in November 2020.
He is hosting a spearfishing tournament, the inaugural “Dive for a Cure,” on July 15-16 in Panama City Beach to give back to the hospital that treated him, Children’s of Alabama. He and hospital officials are planning for the tournament to be an annual event to benefit cancer research efforts.
“I’m just really grateful that I get to be here to be able to do that. I just never thought it would blow up the way it has,” Colten said. “… I’m really grateful for it.”
After almost two years, Colten remains cancer-free.
Jonathan, Caitlin and Colten are getting it done the right way. And Bay County has many more remarkable young leaders with compassion for others. I’m excited that our future is in such good hands.
Generation Alpha, don’t listen to the negative talk when it starts … and it will. You, too, will take the reins and blow our minds!
Ray Glenn is the content coach and engagement editor at the Panama City News Herald. You can reach him at [email protected].
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