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View Winners → The Generation that will Change the World
Arcadia Weekly Jun 11, 2020
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ByMay S. Ruiz
Thehigh school class 2020 is a generation whose lives have been upended by theglobal pandemic. While it can be argued that being asked to stay home as wewage a war against a disease is a far cry from having to fight a war on thebattlefields as the boomers before them had done, these teenagers have seenmuch devastation during their lifetime.
Today’s 17- or 18-year-olds have been raised in a digital world. They know only too well the harsh realities – climate change, gender and racial discrimination, socioeconomic inequality, pandemics, violence, hunger, poverty, and homelessness millions around the world suffer each day – and grew up before their time. They worry endlessly about their future even as they seemingly spend countless hours playing ‘Animal Crossing’ on their computer. They are going to be agents of change.
Michelle Dong, who is 18 years old, graduated virtually from Arcadia High School on June 4 and will be attending UC Irvine in the fall. She said that while the pandemic didn’t alter her plans for college, it made her more aware of her decision-making process. She had to consider which college would support her during this time of uncertainty.
“WhenI constantly hear about the rising death toll and infected cases, I feelhelpless and worried about the future,” Michelle discloses. “On my part, Iensure that I practice all the necessary social distancing and health andsafety precautions. Fortunately, on an economic level, my family was notimpacted deeply by this pandemic. However, it’s saddening to see my favoritelocal stores close or struggle to maintain business. This pandemic haspropelled me to look into public health and examine how disease preventioneducation can impact a community. I also feel a moral responsibility to educatemyself and those in my community toprogress through these challenges. ”
“Ithink my generation must adapt to new changes and innovate new ways of living.I feel that with quarantine, my generation can examine society and developtheir stance on what is morally right and wrong. We will be entering aturbulent economic landscape and I hope my generation will be the change thatis needed in our world.”
Marc Soong of Alhambra turned 17, three days before his virtual graduation from Stanford University’s Online High School on June 7. It was to have taken place at Stanford University’s Stanford Memorial Auditorium and he was scheduled to play ‘Liebeslied’ (Love’s Sorrow) by Fritz Kreisler, transcribed for the piano by Sergei Rachmaninoff. He is matriculating at Stanford University in the fall.
Marcconfesses, “As someone who isn’t too social, I feel that the graduationcanceling would have a greater impact on others than on me. However, I waslooking forward to performing for my classmates and meeting them, many of whomI have only seen online.”
But his disappointment is eclipsed by more worrisome thoughts. Says Marc, “As the number of deaths from the virus surpassed 100,000, more than lives lost in several U.S. wars, I feel overwhelmed. Because I can’t go out and also since I’m not well versed in communications or medicine, but also because I’m only one person, I feel somewhat helpless that I can’t do more about the coronavirus. I realize how lucky I am – that I have a place to live, and food to eat, and very supportive parents – and there is a guilt-appreciation feeling in that.
“Thereare lessons to be learned from that. Our generation must value community overindividual greed. We should focus on science and rational thought when it comesto making decisions and dealing with environmental problems rather thanpersonal biases. Our generation will have to focus on working together withother countries and really find ways to deal with climate change, as well asdevelop vaccines for those diseases that continue to plague us.”
Seventeen-year-old Kate Tadeo graduated valedictorian at Monrovia High School’s drive-thru commencement ceremony held on June 3 and has been designated a John W. Kluge Scholar through the Columbia Undergraduate Scholar Program.
Kate says, “At first I was pretty bummed when I learned we would be ending the school year much differently than anticipated, but as the days went by I realized how fortunate I was to even be healthy during the global pandemic that is going on. Though it’s a little sad we didn’t have that traditional end of high school, it was out of anyone’s control and I’m just glad to spend more time with family before I leave for college.
“I’mattending Columbia University in the fall and, to date, they are still planningon holding fall semester on campus. Although I haven’t picked any courses yet,I’m going into my undergrad education on the pre-med track. I am sure that willinclude courses or even labs on possibly gaining knowledge on new diseases,like COVID-19. I might end up doing research on potential unknown diseases andhow to prevent the worst. Additionally, many universities have made suchimpressive progress with cancer research and I would like to be a part of thegeneration to find a cure.”
“Ifanything, I think this pandemic has shown that it is important for society as awhole to learn from our experience and follow the guidelines set in place. Whilesome people disregarded them and even protested against them, I do notunderstand how one could ignore and protest against an airborne disease. It is necessaryto pay attention to the facts presented by credible sources and immediatelytake action to minimize the casualties.”
ContinuesKate, “There are so many things in the world that need to change and I thinkthis generation is very passionate in bringing about just that. I have so muchhope for my generation to move past a lot of the societal norms variousgenerations before us have just passed down. Even right now it’s amazing seeingso many people around me be so passionate about the Black Lives Matter movementand I genuinely hope this is the generation that can finally put an end to thefour centuries of systemic racism this country has undergone.
“Iam passionate about gender, racial, and social inequality and though I know itis a long, ongoing challenge, it is one we face in everyday conversations withthose around us. Though my part may be small now, as I just try to conveythrough conversation the importance of equality for all regardless of race,gender, socioeconomic circumstance, it is important to relay the message towhoever possible, whether that be a loved one, a good friend, or maybe even anacquaintance who maybe says a comment invalidating a certain group of people.
“I also feel climate change is a very real, daunting concern that this country’s government should be paying more attention to. Although right now I live with my parents and eat their diet and I drive a car, I hope to at least reduce my own carbon footprint starting next year by possibly cutting most meat out of my diet and walking or taking the train instead of driving. At the end of the day we all need to acknowledge our privilege and incorporate it into how we can elicit positive change.”
Eric Dong (no relation to Michelle), who is 17 years old, will be graduating from San Marino High School during an in-person commencement ceremony tentatively scheduled for July 31. He says, “I’m not too bothered that we spent the last semester at home. Though it will be disappointing if I am unable to say my good-byes to my friends and wonderful teachers in person. Senior activities such as prom and grad night are postponed, which is unfortunate since I’d prefer not to attend these parties over summer, and some people might not want to go then.
“I’mstill excited to go to college this fall. However, if Brown decides to switchto on-line classes or the virus is still active, I might take a gap year so Ican enjoy the full experience of freshman year. I will continue volunteering atUnion Station, work to earn some of my own money, or intern to gain experienceduring the gap year.”
“Theeconomic upheaval, the thousands of people infected daily, and the lives lostare devastating news for everyone, and I have become more sensible andappreciative of life, taking careful steps to stay safe and healthy,” says Ericabout the coronavirus pandemic. “In an effort to help stem the contagion, mybrother and I have provided 1,500 face masks for the families and children atUnion Station Homeless Services in Pasadena and joined the International LeadershipFoundation (ILF) in donating tens of thousands of medical-grade face masks toRhode Island, Mercy Medical Center of Long Island, and Columbia Medical Center.”
Adynamic youth activist, Eric also recently participated in events held by theILF and the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Foundation to fight against violenceand racism.
DeclaresEric, “I see myself as an agent of change in the environmental science areasince I am passionate and ready to take steps to mitigate the harm caused by climatechange. Last year, I spent my summer interning at MIT EAPS Cziczo Lab forClouds and Aerosols where I investigated factors causing the formation of iceclouds by examining water samples from the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Iisolated positive and negative particles via Particle Analysis by Laser MassSpectrometry and collected 2,000 sets daily, and created graphs and charts todisplay analyses. I am co-author of two research papers: “Ice Nucleation of SeaSpray Aerosols Generated Across Marin Biogeochemical Boundaries” and“Fluorinated Secondary Organic Aerosol Formation from HydrofluoroolefinEmissions.
“Myinterest was motivated by my visits to my brother in 2015 and 2016 in China whenhe was seeking treatment for a medical condition. I witnessed scores ofchildren unable to breathe, attend school, play sports, or fully live theirlives. I brought 3M filtration masks for my extended family there, but thissmall gesture felt futile. I later learned that people as far flung as Japan,Korea, and California are also feeling the effects of Chinese smog. Theconsequences of environmental degradation shocked me. I decided then toconcentrate in Environmental Science and Engineering when I go to college and Iintend to achieve an ambitious goal – to create tangible change by fosteringclean air and pure water.”
As young as Eric, Kate, Marc, and Michelle are in years, they are painfully cognizant of all that is wrong. What they do with their awareness, coupled with their drive to do good, may very well determine the course for humanity and effect change in the world.
