Growing up is the phenomenon every adult warns you about. “Cherish your childhood.” “You’ll miss it once it’s over.”
Now, in your twenties, with the rose-colored glasses of childhood removed, you realize why adults are stressed all the time. Instead of eating candy and swinging on the monkey bars, you pay bills, write papers, and worry about the future. The ulcer creates itself.
People often say that your twenties are the best and the worst years of your life. To help you make the most of that time, I’ve tracked down a handful of Santa Cruz community members and asked them what they think 20-year-olds should know.
“Find the balance of letting both your heart and mind lead and explore what’s out there.”
— Shebreh Kalantari-Johnson, Santa Cruz City Council member
“Be willing to get outside your comfort zone. Moving forward, whether it’s food, or travel or doing new things, trying to experience and do new things is something that I think is really important.”
— Justin Cummings, Santa Cruz City Council member
“My undergraduate mentor at UCLA told me something that I always found valuable, it was just two words, ‘keep interested.’ It’s a version of ‘follow your passion.’ It made me think a lot about how interest and being interested can be very important as a compass…It empowered me to spend time on things that I was interested in, and to see that they have value.”
— Janette Dinishak, assistant professor in philosophy
“I wish I had known about the long-term effects of the sun and smoking, because I would have stopped tanning and stopped smoking!”
— Carla Freccero, literature department chair
“Practice forgiveness. Holding negativity and pain will not serve you and you can forgive someone without condoning behaviors.”
— Martine Watkins, Santa Cruz City Council member
“While you’re here in Santa Cruz, make this your home. Find one or two local organizations or businesses to connect with, either by volunteering or interning or just getting to know their work.”
— Shebreh Kalantari-Johnson, Santa Cruz City Council member
“There’s a tendency to spend so much of your life trying to achieve a goal that you think will then make you happy. But according to a lot of philosophers and thinkers, what’s crucial is the meaning you’re getting while you’re pursuing that goal.”
— Jon Ellis, founder and director of the Center for Public Philosophy
“Work to understand yourself better, authentically strive to understand all perspectives, and seek to contribute to the betterment of all in society and the future of the planet.”
— Martine Watkins, Santa Cruz City Council member
“I was in graduate school when I turned 20. I gave up all my hobbies for my studies. I wish I had not stopped doing those things…because I would still be doing them now.”
— Carla Freccero, literature department chair
“Surround yourself with people who are going to uplift you, and do your best to try to uplift yourself.”
— Justin Cummings, Santa Cruz City Council member
With so many factors outside of our control, take all advice with a grain of salt. So, take the mistakes as they come, get outside your comfort zone, wear plenty of sunscreen, and do what makes you happy. Enjoy your twenties, friends!
