Student Blog: Our Coming-Of-Age Has Come and Gone

The twenties is easily the weirdest time in my life yet. Everyone always says that, but add in a pandemic and a whole lot of uncertainty and you get some really interesting years to live through. To anyone on the outside, it might seem like my generation is being over dramatic.

But I promise, we aren't.

Your twenties are supposed to be filled with self discovery, learning and becoming the person you're destined to be. As I look ahead to my upcoming 22nd birthday in a measly two months, I can say that my twenties have been anything but the normal experience. And it feels like I'm missing out on so much that was promised, good or bad, with this age.

It's hard not to think that my coming-of-age has come and gone like Taylor Swift so gracefully said.

Those golden, carefree years passed by without me even realizing, come and gone in an instant, and now everything ahead is unknown for a thousand different reasons. So here I am just trying my best to get through a decade of my life with no expectations because whether I like it or not, this is it. No one else but us knows what this is like and although that's terrifying, it leaves no other option but for myself and everyone else my age to figure out how we're going to continue our lives in such a strange time.

Years ago, we were in what many could argue were the happiest times of their lives. We were coming-of-age in a world that wasn't pretty, but a little more peaceful and less overwhelming than the reality we face today. With hopes of the future and enjoying every moment, we were able to relish in the feeling of belonging and take on any challenge without any fear of what might be next.

Yet, all of that was yanked away from us in a blink of an eye.

This new time of our lives is usually a turmoil of change mixed with many emotions that remain prominent throughout years in different situations. While already a scary decade, the current state of the world certainly hasn't made it any easier. In fact, it's done the opposite.

And despite all of this, it's okay. We are adapting and managing in the best way we can in order to continue on as we should. More than ever, the world needs young individuals who are fearless and willing to change everything as we know it. It may not be easy and we have lost out on some of the biggest moments in our lives, but that doesn't mean we are going to give up. I am not giving up.

Swift's statement in her song "peace" rings true for my generation, but it will not define us moving forward. My twenties will be a time in my life that I'll remember forever no matter what happens or what I do during this time. We all deserve those incredible experiences no matter what, so let's go get them.