The Future is Bright with Students From COVID-19 Era

By: Emilio Salaverry 

    So, for the past couple of weeks I could not help, but think about all the 2020 graduating classes, especially our seniors. I never had a graduation ceremony, as a result of poor choices; however, for 2020 seniors it is different, they did not do anything wrong, they did not choose to not participate, they did not choose to leave school earlier and got straight to community college. There is no one to blame for the consequences COVID-19 has brought upon the world and 2020 seniors. Yes, all your plans for this year have been turned upside down; no senior pranks, no skipping school, no prom, no parties, no graduation ceremony and (in Peru) no despedidas. However, there are many reasons to be grateful and look forward to what wait for us in 2020 and beyond. 

    I want to start by expressing how grateful I am to have the opportunity to engage with, talk to and work with youth that inspire me every day. During quarantine 2020, and especially during graduation week, everyone from Barack Obama, Oprah to DJ Khaled have made an effort to share some words of encouragement to the seniors; I get to do it every day, well once a week to seniors. To me, this engagement is vital to make future generations think critically and differently about their surroundings and the world. It is a weekly opportunity to reach the youth and inspire them to do the right thing, to think about their neighbors, to be open minded and break down the walls and tags that divide us. I truly believe that my students, past and present, are the future, so I have high expectations and demand their best. However, these high expectations are not always related to academics; I expect them to reflect over some misconceptions they have about work ethic, effort and commitment, completing assignments just for a grade, poverty, different religions, traditions and cultures. They need to be open minded, free and critical thinkers that reflect and show empathy to others. So, my students simply inspire me to give my best every day and I hope I inspire them as well, thank you! 

    Now, piggybacking off the idea of mutual inspiration, I want my students to be the best version of themselves. I do not want to be naive, I know this is difficult for all of us. Some mornings, I do not want to wake up and face the difficulties of the day. Or sometimes, I do not want to read that email from a parent complaining about grades, but it is all about having grit. It is all about doing the small actions day in and day out to reach long-term goals. It is about sitting down, trusting a superior being, and reflecting over what you need to improve and what you need to do consistently to reach the best version of self. I would like my students to be able to grow as a people, not as robots that can output a bunch of data and stats, but as a person that puts forth effort to do things to the best of their ability, to not make excuses, to accept responsibility when necessary, to learn from mistakes and failures. Let’s not sugar coat things, we are going to fail at some point in our lives, but it is essential to use that experience to pursue new endeavors and grow as an individual. Also, I want them to not be afraid to try new things, to break down their fears and step out of their comfort zones. They are so young, they have the rest of their lives ahead of them, if they fail for the next 10 years, most students will still be in their mid-20’s. Luckily, with the help of my family, I’ve tried to chase some of my dreams, I have accomplished some, but at the same time I have acknowledged that what I was chasing was not for me, and, of course, I have not achieved all my goals, but I went for it. For me, this is what it means to be the best version of yourself: show grit and go for it. 

    The last thing I would like to share is that I always make sure that my students know that it is okay to ask for help. I have learned that we are not super humans, and we need to be vulnerable and learn how to ask for help. We cannot do everything, we cannot achieve all our goals on our own, we cannot be the best version of self without help from others. It is so important to create a sense of team and togetherness, so that we can improve things and make the world a better place. Likewise, I try to let my students know that they should not be afraid to take small steps and do small actions to help others. There are so many examples of how preconceived insignificant actions have blossomed into a massive positive impact on people and communities. Dear students, help others, seek purpose in this world; purpose is something bigger than you, bigger than your personal dreams and aspirations. Finally, I heard this advice from Obama’s speech to the 2020 seniors, “do the right thing always and not what feels good”. I know it is hard to do right, but I am sure that if we surround ourselves with people we respect and admire then we can learn and gain wisdom from them. There are so many reasons why it is difficult to ask for help, but I just want my students to know that it is okay, we do not know everything, we need help. 

    In conclusion, no matter our circumstances we have so much to be grateful for and look forward to. I am so honored and privileged to work with the youth that is going to run their local community, maybe Peru or even the world. Everyone needs to be reminded that it is okay to ask for help, to help others and be inspired to chase the best version of yourself. If we learn from our mistakes, promote a sense of community, seek to exploit our full potential, then the future is bright.