Generational Theory

Generation Z contains young people who are resilient, persistent, and who want to forge their pathways. There are various celebrities and famous people who are a part of generation Z who have done this. An example of this is Millie Bobby Brown, who became popular after her role as Eleven in the Netflix series Stranger Things. Also, a name that almost everyone would recognize, Kylie Jenner, is a part of generation Z who has created her brand. These young women exemplify the generation Z trait of creating one’s pathway and future.

This idea is displayed well in the article “Get Ready for Generation Z,” written by Anne Kingston. There is a multitude of members belonging to generation Z that are well known for their accomplishments, but there are also people who have done amazing things and most people don’t even know their names. In the article, the author discusses various teenagers who have made incredible advances in technology. For example, Ann Makosinski was sixteen-years-old when she invented a flashlight powered by the heat of a human hand (Kingston 42).

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This in itself shows her intelligence, but adding to Makosinski’s achievement, is her reasoning for creating the invention—her friend in the Philippines lacked electricity to study at night (Kingston 42).

This demonstrates how compassionate and empathetic Makosinski is as well. Furthermore, not only did Makosinski create her pathway, but she helped her friend and other students so they were also able to create a future for themselves as well. Also, the article, talks about Tavi Gevinson, who founded a fashion blog at the age of eleven and is now editor-in-chief of an online magazine that holds feminist messages on how sexual imagery of young girls needs to stop (Kingston 42).

This shows another person who created something due to their beliefs on society and the world. Both Tavi Gevinson and Ann Makosinski exemplify generation Z because they took what was important to them and used it to create their future. A primary text that continues to show members of generation Z creating their pathways, is The Good Doctor. This show is about a young man named Shaun Murphy who has autism. In his childhood, Shaun had to deal with an abusive father and the discrimination and prejudice of other children at school. Despite andhaun’sand Shaun's troubled childhood, he maintains an optimistic outlook on life and chooses to pursue becoming a doctor, so he can help others. He applies to a prestigious hospital—San Jose St. Bonaventure—in hopes of getting hired in the surgical unit. At first, the hospital board does not want to hire Shaun due to his autism, but Shaun proves himself to them and ends up getting the job. Shaun proves himself when he encounters a boy who was injured after a glass fixture fell on him and he tells another doctor on the scene what to do to stop the boy from dying. Later on, he argues that something is wrong because the boy’s vitals changed, but no one believes him.

Eventually, the doctors realize Shaun is right and the boy is saved thanks to him. This affirms how Shaun continued to forge his path no matter what obstacles were put in front of him. The novel Private Citizens written by Tony Tulathimutte explores four different characters of the millennial generation and discusses their lives and personalities. Although the characters are millennials, they do show characteristics of generation Z, specifically creating one’s path. To begin with, Henrik grew up on the road with his father, where the two slept in his dad’s truck. His dad did not support Henrik going to school, so Henrik educated himself. In the novel, Henrik brings up the idea that he might want to try going to college and his dad responds with, “‘College is a load of penguin shit’” (Tulathimutte 183). This reveals how Henrik did not receive any support from the only person in his life. Regardless, Henrik applied to Yale and got accepted, showing how he knew what he wanted and made it happen. Also in Private Citizens, Cory was seen as trying her best to create a future for herself. At the beginning of the novel, Cory’s boss dies and gives her the role of executive director of the nonprofit Socialize. When Cory finds this out, she is surprised and does not think she has what it takes to take the position, Moreover, the company is unorganized and in massive debt. However, she accepts her new role and decides to try paths her best to improve Socialize. At the beginning of a meeting Cory says, “‘Today I want to talk about the future direction of the company, which is...toward a goal we’ll stogetherGeneratioer’” (158).

This portrays how Cory is passionate about what she is doing and wants to take steps o better the company. She continues to make decisions to improve Socialize, such as firing a man named Luis, who disrespects Cory and is constantly making sarcastic and rude comments. In addition to punishing Luis, she acknoin-deptwledges who is doing well and praises them. Cory shows her determination further by planning a huge event in a park called Recreate ’08 to help the company. Members of generation Z are clearly seen to have the common ability to create their future no matter what obstacles are put in front of them. It could be argued that people such as Kylie Jenner have had fewer obstacles and more opportunities to succeed in life, but this does not negate the fact that generation Z consists of numerous people forging their o pth. People have made amazing inventions such as Ann Makosinski, but also everyday students like me and my peers are creating their owfamiliesfutures in smaller ways. I have two older brothers who failed out of college, but I am here to do my best and never stop working to achieve my goals. In addition, many students here at St. John Fisher College are the first people in their in-deptpathfamily to go to college. Going further in depth, my choice to come to Fisher shows how I am creating my own pathway through choosing a college with a good pharmacy program. Overall, everyone in generation Z can be seen making decisions—no matter the size—to further their goals and create the future that they want.