Like a lot of people my age, I enjoy escaping reality for 90 minutes with a good movie. One night, while watching “The Breakfast Club,” I started to think about the life of an average teenager in America when the movie was created. Computers were three times the size they are today, the grunge era was in it’s infancy, and MTV was still playing music videos. Although the 1980s is a time we romanticize and nostalgic are nostalgic for, we often forget the less than glamorous aspects of the decade: the AIDS epidemic, famine in Ethiopia and the Gulf War. All of these events had a massive effect in shaping the youth of America at that time, and all of these events still impact our world today as well.

So it made me wonder, what events in this millennium have already impacted this generation.
Not only that, but what does it mean to be a teenager in the 21st century? I think we all have a good idea of what it means to be a teenager in general (the angst, the stress, the feeling that NOBODY in this world could POSSIBLY understand you), but how do millennials express these feelings? How do we make sense out of not only the people and events around us locally, but of this strange, awkward and seemingly carefree period of our lives?

This month’s theme, “Fluorescent Adolescent” is all about trying to make sense of what it means to be a teenager today. This month, you can expect to read all about teenagers who embody grit, creativity, and strength. The people and topics covered this month will not only try to convey the potential for greatness “fluorescent adolescents” have inside of them but also prompt readers (whether they be teenagers or not) to ponder solutions to issues prevalent in the millennial age group. The sooner we identify the things that are keeping our generation from succeeding, the sooner we can start to make our world a little bit better, one day at a time. Maybe we can start with putting music videos back on MTV?

Until next month,

Noel Gasca
Valhalla Editor-in-Chief