By Gloria Romero
(From the Orange Country Register, June 10th, 2013)
Wednesday, I will join proud parents and family at Fullerton’s Sunny Hills High School – a California Distinguished School – to witness loved ones graduate. I will see my triplet nephews – Conrad, Carlos and Reese – receive diplomas.
Weeks later, all three will be off to college – majoring, respectively, in business, criminal justice and political science (a future senator?). As they commence their next life chapter, what better time to offer them and their fellow Millennial Generation peers some thoughts (unsolicited, of course) on what tomorrow offers.
- Follow the sun. Don’t be hesitant to take the road less traveled. It’s not just a poem you read in an English class – it’s sage philosophy for life. It’s easy to follow the herd and adhere to “talking points” prepared by others. Sure, go ahead and read them … but burn them after reading. Blaze your own path along what is now a global cyberhighway. Your world has always been high-tech, so you understand that technology is imaginative and transformative. You also know that, sometimes, you can crash, so accept that you will stumble and, sometimes, fail. When you do, pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and start over. Despite the shifting of demographic and generational tectonic plates, some lessons really do predate us all. That’s why sunrises matter, and in the Golden State, as in life, they’re beautiful.
- Speak your mind. But once you’ve spoken, take action on your words to make them real. Talk is cheap. It’s action that defines leadership. Now – or soon to be – 18, you can vote, and that’s how we speak in a democracy. Undoubtedly, Millennials made a profound difference in the 2012 presidential election. Political parties are trying to understand what makes you tick. In California, Millennials are 24 percent of the electorate but, last year, you turned out at a higher rate – 28 percent. Not surprisingly, online voter registration boosted your access to the political apparatus of democracy. By 2020, Millennials will constitute an estimated 38 percent of the national electorate. Government is downright untrustworthy sometimes, but, just like in a classroom, the discourse continues even when you’re absent. Your vote is your voice: Use it! And don’t stop there: Run for office yourself.
- Don’t be a politician. There is a difference between being a public servant and being a politician. Be the former. But, to do this, you need to trust your gut. Integrity and character matter. Often, a victory can be shallow – meaningless in most people’s lives. Don’t let sleazy politicians who capture headlines erase the significance of what citizenship means to a nation. The greatest message delivered to my generation still applies to you: Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.
- Don’t just stand. Finally, it’s the journey, not the destination. When your name is called, you will stand to receive a diploma. But standing is the easy part. Delivering on that for which you stand is the challenge, and the challenge spans a lifetime.
To both stand and deliver is the challenge and promise of each new generation.
Congratulations on your achievements, and enjoy Disneyland. Stroll through those magical worlds of fantasy, adventure and Tomorrowland. Most assuredly, you’ll see those lands and inhabitants throughout life.
We are a nation beset with challenges, but vibrant with hope and opportunity. Realize that the world awaits you – just as it awaited me – to leave your footprints on the next chapter of our nation.