“I want to be a performing artist. I started singing a year ago, and here I am.”

As he steps out onto the field, with a quiet focus that often accompanies nervousness, Da’Quon, a graduating high school senior, holds a microphone delicately in his hand.

One deep breath and his proud mom gleaming from the sidelines, Da’Quon begins to sing the National Anthem to an audience of 600 soccer fans, and two teams made up of players the same age as he.

As I listened to his gentle, yet stunningly powerful voice, I began to reflect on my year of working with students his age. I get the sense that there has been a subtle shift in the zeitgeist of the 2020’s. There’s a quiet momentum in the way of following one’s heart.

The kids these days are asking themselves, “What do I really like? What do I want for myself?” And then they’re going for it, fears and doubts be damned.

Personally, I think this is wonderful.