Spring marks a time for rebirth for students in Cochrane’s high schools.
This weekend will see two of three graduation ceremonies that will begin to transition more than 200 Cochrane students into the real world.
After more than a decade of grade school, students are in for a cultural shift and possibly a shock as they prepare to start on the path that will define the rest of their lives.
This group of youth, perhaps more than any before, is entering a world where change is happening at a break-neck pace.
Emergent technology appears seemingly on a weekly basis and unlike past generations who had to adapt to those types of changes over a few years, this generation has mere months.
Much criticism has been leveled at youth of today because they seem so immersed in social media and other tools of technology that they appear oblivious to the world around them.
However, as much as many of the older generation fight against it, that is the world today. That connectivity drives business these days to the point that entire jobs are focused on managing technology and social media.
While to many of the older generation, younger people’s attachment to technology might seem frivolous and self-indulgent – and in some cases it probably is, self-indulgent youth is not a new phenomenon – it is also the way of the future.
Unfortunately, technology is the basis of judgment on today’s youth, which is unfair when it dismisses all other accomplishments.
Look to this community’s slate of valedictorians. Each young woman exemplifies not only what all our youth should strive for but are also excellent adult role models.
They demonstrate strong work ethic, community involvement, inclusiveness and a focus on self-care that many past generations neglected.
Many divisions that were based on race, gender, sexuality and religion have faded – though it would be naïve to say they are gone – within this new generation.
A lot of that can be credited to the how connected our youth are these days because of technology – though that also has its down side – and a push toward self-care and self-awareness that fosters greater empathy toward others.
How this new generation will shape the world in front of it only time will tell. If Cochrane’s valedictorians are a glimpse of what is to come, the future is bright.
